Sibling Rivalry
by BeChloeIsLegit
Summary: High School AU: Beca's dad meets Aubrey's mom at a PFLAG event. They marry and Aubrey has to move and start her senior year of HS without her best friend, Chloe. So, what happens when Beca and Aubrey find themselves liking the same girl? Sibling Rivalry is what happens. This is another collaboration between me and Electronis Zappa. We hope you enjoy it.
1. Chapter 1

**Zap's note: So yeah, this was an idea I had, figured it'd be fun to do as a collaboration. Should be fun, hope you enjoy it. Still no end in sight for the smeghead's hiatus, so no clue when stuff I do with him will continue. We continue to have words. Anyway, hope you enjoy.**

 **BeChloeIsLegit's note: Yep, another collab with Electronis Zappa. This is a High School AU and, as Zap said, should be fun. Let us know what you think.**

 **Usualy disclaimer: Neither Zap or I own anything regarding the Pitch Perfect franchise, the actors, or the characters. Just this little story is ours.**

* * *

Aubrey Posen aimlessly wandered around her room putting her school supplies away. She packed her school backpack and was now looking in her closet for her first day of senior year outfit when her phone rang.

"Aubrey Posen," she answered.

"Sheesh, Brey," her best friend Chloe Beale said. "Why so formal?"

"I'm stressed, Chlo," Aubrey said flopping back on her bed. "I am starting senior year as the new girl tomorrow. I'm happy that my mom found someone but also hate that it had to be Ben Mitchell. It's all my fault, too. If I hadn't come out, we wouldn't have been at that stupid PFLAG event, and my mom would never have met him. And, I wouldn't have had to move and start at a new school for senior year AND have Beca Mitchell as a step-sister."

"Wow, all in one breath," Chloe said. "Impressive. But, on the bright side. You and Beca have something in common other than your parents."

"Chloe!," Aubrey said sitting up. "Not helping. What am I going to do without you here?"

"I'm sorry," Chloe said sadly. "Senior year isn't going to be the same without you. But, luckily you only moved like 30 minutes away. And, my folks are going away this weekend, so can I stay with you? I tried to get them to let us stay here but they can't get over that incident from sophomore year."

"Seriously, Chlo?," Aubrey said perking up. "Of course you can stay here. I'll tell my mom."

"Yay," Chloe squealed. "We'll have a girl's weekend just like old times."

 _Knock, Knock_

"Just a sec," Aubrey calls out. "Hang on, Chlo. Someone's at my door."

Aubrey goes over and opens the door where she finds her stepsister, Beca.

"Aubrey," Beca said and nods.

"Beca," Aubrey says. "What can I do for you?"

"Carol asked me to let you know dinner was almost ready," Beca said.

"Okay," Aubrey said as she started to close the door.

"You're welcome," Beca says sarcastically as the door is shut in her face.

"Sorry about that, Chlo," Aubrey says into the phone. "It was Beca."

"I heard," Chloe replies. "You were kind of rude."

"I was not," Aubrey says. "Besides, it was just Beca."

"Brey, you have to try and get along with her," Chloe said. "She's really not the enemy."

"I know," Aubrey said. "It's just, she's too alternative, and don't get me started on that stupid smirk she always has on her face."

"I think her smirk is kind of hot," Chloe says with a giggle.

"Don't," Aubrey said. "Don't call my stepsister hot. That's just, no. Just don't."

"Alright," Chloe says with a laugh. "I gotta go. Call me after school tomorrow and let me know how it goes."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "And, I'll talk to my mom about this weekend."

"Love you, Brey," Chloe said. "Bye."

"Love you, too," Aubrey says and ends the call.

Aubrey takes a deep breath and lets it out. She puts her phone in her pocket and heads downstairs for dinner. She frowns when she sees her mom and Beca laughing together over something. Beca was carrying a bowl of salad and her mom was carrying a pan of lasagna.

"Hey, sweetie," Carol calls out. "Everything okay? You look all frowny."

"That's not even a word," Aubrey says and sits at the table.

"Ben, honey, dinner's ready," Carol calls out, getting no response. "I swear that man. Beca would you go get your dad, please?"

"Sure," Beca says and leaves to find her dad.

"Seriously, Brey," Carol said. "What's wrong?"

"I'm starting my senior year in a new school without Chloe," Aubrey said, voice thick with emotion. "We've been together for every first day of school since kindergarten."

"I know, baby," Carol said putting her hand on Aubrey's arm. "But, Ben works here in Barden and it just wasn't feasible for him and Beca to move to Crestfield. Besides, you'll still get to see Chloe a lot. She's welcome to come over anytime. You know that."

"I know," Aubrey said with a sigh. "Her folks are going away this weekend and she asked if she could stay here. Is that okay?"

"That's fine," Carol said with a smile. "It will be nice to see her."

"See who?," Ben asks as he enters the dining room. He kisses Carol and sits down.

"Aubrey's friend, Chloe," Carol said.

"Is she the hot redhead you were hanging out with at the wedding?," Beca asked.

"Ew," Aubrey said. "Don't talk about my best friend like that."

"Like what?," Beca asked. "I just said she was hot. Because, well, you've seen her, she is."

"You didn't meet Chloe at the wedding?," Carol asked. "How could you not?"

"Every time I went anywhere near Aubrey," Beca said. "She grabbed the girl and took her somewhere else. I would have introduced myself but blondie over here never left her alone. I just ended up hanging out with my friend, Amy."

"I don't need some punk alt-girl hobbit hitting on my best friend," Aubrey says glaring at Beca.

"Ouch," Beca said putting her hand to her chest, feigning hurt. "Is that the best you could come up with?"

"Oh, there's a lot more -"

"Stop it!," Ben yells. "Both of you. I don't care what you two need to do to fix this, but this constant bickering has to stop. This Saturday I am taking Carol to Atlanta for the day. We are meeting friends for brunch and then visiting the Art Museum. You two will cancel whatever plans you have and spend that time together."

"But, dad," Beca interrupts.

"No buts, Beca," Ben says. "It's happening."

"You're not my father," Aubrey says crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. "You can't tell me what to do."

Seeing the hurt look that comes over Ben's face Carol looks at her daughter.

"But, I AM your mother," Carol says angrily. "And you will do what Ben says. I mean it, Aubrey."

"But Chloe will be here," Aubrey whined. "We're having a girl's weekend."

"Perfect," Carol says. "Whatever you and Chloe are doing, you will take Beca with you."

"Mom!," Aubrey says sitting up.

Beca had seen the hurt look on her father's face and took his hand. She gave him a small smile.

"I'm game," Beca said. "It would be nice to finally meet Chloe."

Beca put a cheeky grin on her face and turned to Carol.

"You might want to warn her she may have to play referee though," Beca said.

"Thank you, Beca," Carol said, smiling at the girl. "It's settled then. Let's eat before the lasagna gets cold."

Aubrey ate and didn't say much. Beca, Ben, and Carol where talking and laughing throughout dinner. Beca looked at Aubrey and kind of felt sorry for the girl. I mean, she did have to leave all her friends to move to Barden. She knew how she would feel if it were the other way around.

"Hey, Aubrey," Beca said clearing her throat and getting Aubrey's attention. "Um, I'll drive you to school tomorrow and show you where the office is so you can get your schedule and stuff. I mean, you know, if you want."

Aubrey looked around the table at the hopeful looks on Carol and Ben's faces. Beca was extending an olive branch and it was up to Aubrey on whether to accept it or not.

"I'd, um, like that," Aubrey said with a small smile. "Thank you, Beca."

Ben and Carol both let out the breaths they were holding and smiled at the two girls. Ben gave Beca's arm a squeeze and gave her a grateful smile.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

The next morning went vastly differently for the stepsisters. Aubrey woke early, partially to get a run in, and partially because her nerves wouldn't let her sleep much longer. It wasn't until after she was showered and dressed that Beca showed any signs of life. The blonde did her best not to roll her eyes as she headed downstairs to the kitchen. She was surprised to find Ben cooking breakfast.

"Morning, Aubrey," he said. "Ready for your big day?"

"As I'll ever be," she replied as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"You'll be fine," Ben reassured her. "I know it's been a big transition in a short amount of time, but I don't think you'll have any problem fitting in. Beca's got a good group of friends and I'm sure they'll take to you in no time."

"I hope so," Aubrey said as she sat at the table. "It's just 180 days. I can do this."

"That's one way to look at it," Ben conceded.

"I just wish I could still be with Chloe," Aubrey sighed as she sat at the table. "She's really the only one I'll actually miss."

"She'll be here this weekend," Ben reminded her. "She's welcome here anytime. I know this has been a big transition like I said and, for my part of it, I'm sorry for how rushed things were."

"I understand," Aubrey said. "I've never seen my mother as happy as she is with you. I'm glad my coming out and her support of it was able to bring the two of you together."

"Thank you," Ben said, smiling at Aubrey as he finished cooking. "And good morning, Beca. Coffee is nice and hot."

"Thanks Dad," Beca said as she made her way to the coffee maker to fill her grumpy cat mug. "Good morning, Aubrey," Beca said.

"Morning, Beca," Aubrey greeted the younger girl.

"I was just telling Brey about how great your friends are," Ben said as he plated everyone's breakfast.

"I suppose that's one way to describe them," Beca conceded, taking two plates and putting one in front of the blonde. "They are pretty awesome, most of the time. Just a word of advice, don't try to hear what Lily says. Trust me, it's for the best."

"Good to know," Aubrey said, smiling at her mother as she took a plate and sat at the table.

Conversation came to a lull as everyone ate. Soon enough, she was in Beca's car as the brunette drove the short distance to Barden High.

"Everyone knows you're gay, right?," Aubrey asked.

"Yeah, it's public knowledge," Beca confirmed. "Barden being a college town has its perks. Pretty much everyone's accepting. You still have a smattering of homophobic jocks like Tom Stewart, Theo Burnet, and especially the stupidly named Bumper Allan and Chicago Walp."

"That's their real names?," Aubrey asked, surprised.

"Yep, I stopped trying to figure it out years ago when I realized they're assholes and don't matter," Beca explained.

"Yeah, there's this guy, Howie, at my old school," Aubrey said. "Typical future frat boy douche. He used to always hit on me. Thinks he's God's gift to women. He's the biggest reason I finally decided to come out. I just couldn't take it anymore."

"Understandable," Beca said as she pulled into her assigned parking spot in the student lot. "I was never really in the closet. My mom told me she pretty much always knew. Of course her being bi helped."

"I'd imagine so," Aubrey agreed.

Being early, there was hardly anyone around yet. The walk to the office was filled mostly with small talk as Beca informed the blonde of various points of interest. They finally get to the office, and Aubrey was about to ask a question when a tall brunette walked out rendering both girls speechless.

The brunette looked up from the paper she was studying and saw the two step-sisters standing there. She smiles and walks over to them.

"Hi, my name is Stacie Conrad," the brunette says introducing herself. "I'm new here. Could one of you tell me where room A212 is?"

"Hi," Beca said with a smile. "I'm Beca Mitchell. How about instead of telling you, I show you?"

"Lead the way," Stacie says with a smile.

The two brunettes walk away, leaving Aubrey alone in the hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Zap's note: Glad there seems to be a positive reaction to the story. I hope you continue to like it.**

* * *

Aubrey stood there and watched the two brunettes walk away. Truth be told, she was watching Stacie walk away. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. She went into the office to get her schedule and locker number.

Aubrey found her first class and met a few people who seemed fairly nice. She looked at her schedule and her next class was AP Calculus and was surprised to see Beca in the class. She walked over to where Beca was sitting and sat next to her.

"Thanks for ditching me before first period," Aubrey whispered to the younger girl.

"What?," Beca whispered back. "Oh, shit. Sorry, Aubrey. But when I saw Stacie I actually forgot you were standing there. I mean, you saw her. You'd have left me in a heartbeat if you had opened your mouth first."

Aubrey thought about it for a brief moment before conceding that Beca was right.

"Let me see your schedule," Beca said holding her hand out to Aubrey.

Aubrey hands Beca her schedule and Beca looks at it.

"We have three classes together," Beca said. "This one. AP History fifth period and Music last period. And it looks like we'll have lunch together, too. I can introduce you to my friends at lunch if you want."

"Thanks," Aubrey said. "I wasn't expecting to see you in any AP classes."

"It's not by choice," Beca said. "I'm only taking them because I'd be bored in the other classes. Plus, if I get them out of the way this year, next year I'll only have to take three classes to fulfill my graduation requirements. Which means, I'll only have a half a day of school. Win-win for me."

"Interesting," Aubrey murmured.

"Hey, Beca, Aubrey" Amy said as she sat in front of the two girls. "How's your first day, Aubrey?"

"So far, so good," Aubrey said. "Am I the only senior in this class?"

"No," Beca said. "Me, Amy, and Lily are juniors. Everyone else is a senior."

"Who's Lily?," Aubrey asked.

Beca pointed to the dark haired Asian girl who was suddenly sitting next to Amy. Aubrey did a double take. She could have sworn no one was sitting there just a second ago. Before Aubrey could say anything more, the teacher called for everyone's attention and got the class settled down. He began to discuss what they would be learning during the year. He handed out the text books they would use and also a schedule of the major tests already planned.

Once class was done, Amy offered to show Aubrey where her next class was since she was going in that direction.

"See you nerds at lunch," Beca called out as she headed to her next class.

Aubrey made it through her third and fourth period classes. She was a little bothered that there were two guys who wouldn't stop hitting on her during fourth period. One of them was Bumper Allan. She remembered Beca telling her about him. She wanted to tell him she was gay but didn't want to hear his homophobic rants. The other guy was Theo Burnett. He wasn't bad looking and had a British accent. But, she wasn't interested in him either.

Aubrey makes her way to the cafeteria and goes through the line to get her lunch. She walks out and looks around for Beca. She sees Beca sitting next to Stacie. There are a number of others sitting with them and she walks over.

"Room for one more?," Aubrey asks.

"Sure," a boy said and moved over to give her room to sit.

"Thanks," Aubrey says and sits next to him.

"Guys," Beca says. "This is Aubrey. She's my stepsister so be nice. You can introduce yourselves."

Everyone greets her and she smiles around the table.

"I'm Stacie," Stacie said. "I saw you with Beca this morning by the office. I'm a junior and I'm a newbie. My dad's job transferred him and we just moved from Pennsylvania."

"Um, yeah, I'm a newbie too," Aubrey said. "I transferred from Crestfield. I'm a senior."

"I'm Jesse," said the boy sitting next to Aubrey. "I'm a junior."

"I'm Benji," the curly haired boy next to Jesse said. "Also, a junior."

"I'm Cynthia Rose," the African-American girl said. "Everyone calls me CR. I'm a senior, too."

"So, Aubrey," Jesse said. "Do you like movies?"

"No, Jesse," Beca said. "Save yourself the embarrassment. She won't be going out with you."

Jesse looked down, his cheeks flushed red.

"What she means is," Aubrey said looking around the table. "I'm gay and I won't be going out with any guy."

"Oh," Jesse said perking up a bit. "Thanks for telling me."

Aubrey just smiled at him. Jesse looked over at Stacie.

"So, Stacie," Jesse began but was interrupted by a loud noise coming from behind him.

Everyone at the table turned to see Emily Junk sitting on the floor with everything from her lunch tray scattered around her. Tom Stewart and Chicago Walp were high-fiving each other and laughing. Beca figured out immediately what had happened.

"Those assholes," Beca muttered as she jumped up and went over to the girl.

Emily had tears falling down her face. Beca kneeled down to her to make sure she wasn't hurt. Beca gave the girl her hand and was helping her up when Tom and Chicago started rubbing at their eyes and boo hooing and laughing.

"Why do you two have to be dicks all the time?," Beca growled at the two boys.

"Watch it, Mitchell," Tom said taking a step toward Beca. "Or you're next."

"Bring it, douchebag," Beca said, not the least bit scared. "I'd love to kick your ass again. It's been a while."

"Look here, your little dyke-"

"Is there a problem here?," Mr. Smith, the Vice Principal, asks looking at Tom and Beca.

"No, no problem here," Tom says.

"Actually, there is a problem," Beca said. "These two think it's funny to push Emily and make her fall and have her lunch go all over the floor. And, this moron," Beca points to Tom, "threatened me when I called him out on it."

"Is that what happened?," Mr. Smith asked Emily.

Emily swallowed and looked at Tom and Chicago and back at Beca.

"Yes, sir," the girl finally said.

"Okay, you two," Mr. Smith said. "My office. Now."

The two boys glared at Beca. Beca just smiled and flipped them off as they were led away. She turns to the girl.

"Are you sure you're okay?," Beca asked.

"Yeah," Emily said wiping her face. "I'm fine. Thanks to you."

"Don't worry about it," Beca said.

Beca walked Emily over to her table and introduced her to Aubrey and Stacie.

"Here," Aubrey said giving Emily half her sandwich. "There's no time to go through the lunch line again."

"Thank you," Emily said.

Jesse gave her some of his chips and Stacie handed her a bottle of water.

"You guys are so nice," Emily said with a big smile.

Lunch was almost over and Beca asked Emily where her next class was. Emily checked her schedule and told her.

"Hey, Jesse," Beca said. "Can you and Benji walk Emily to her next class? We're in the opposite direction."

"Sure," Jesse said.

"I'd love to walk Emily to class," Benji says and blushes when Emily smiled at him.

Beca, Stacie, and Aubrey all had AP History together and headed off to their class. Stacie and Aubrey walked into class together with Beca trailing behind. The two girls sat at desks next to each other, continuing whatever conversation they were having. Beca had to sit in the back, where she watched Aubrey and Stacie closely. She was hoping to ask Stacie out because she really liked the girl. From where she was sitting, it looked like Aubrey might like her as well. She wasn't one-hundred percent sure that Stacie even liked girls. The way she talked about "the hunter" made Beca think she might be bi. Beca knew she was going to have to act fast if she was going to get Stacie to go out with her.

After class was over, Beca hurried to catch up with Stacie and Aubrey. When she got out the door she could see the two still walking together in the opposite direction she needed to go. She gave up and went to class, knowing she'd see them in her Music class.

It was finally seventh period and Beca practically ran to the music room. When she got there most of her friends were already there.

"What's up, losers?," Beca said as she walked in. "Hey, Emily. How was the rest of your day?"

"Great, thank you!," Emily said excitedly.

"Hey, has anyone seen Flo?," Benji said. "I haven't seen her all day."

"She'll be back next week," Jesse said. "Her grandmother died and they had to go to Guatemala for the funeral."

"That's so sad," Emily said.

"Hey, everybody," Stacie called out as she entered the room with Aubrey.

"Wow, all of you have this class together?," Aubrey said.

"It's basically where we all met," Beca said. "This class is one of the only ones that has students from every grade in it. We're more like a choir. Mrs. Abernathy puts together two or three programs each year and we sing as a group."

"Well, look here," Bumper says as he walks in. "It's the gay brigade."

Tom, Chicago, and Theo walk in behind Bumper and start laughing. Tom and Chicago walk over to Beca.

"Why are you two here?," Beca asked. "I know for a fact you don't have this class."

"We have a free period before practice," Chicago said. "Thought we'd pay our favorite dyke a little visit."

"We almost got suspended because of you," Tom said. "We just came to tell you to watch your back, Mitchell."

"Yeah," Chicago said. "Watch your back, Mitchell."

Beca just smirked at the two and turned to talk to Aubrey and Stacie.

"What are you two lovely ladies doing talking to this dyke?," Tom asked.

"Go away," Aubrey said. "Not interested."

"Next you're going to tell us you're gay, too," Chicago said and laughed.

Aubrey just looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Tom laughed.

"Seriously?," Tom asked. "Is there any girl in this class who isn't gay?"

"I'm available," Amy says. "Just say the word."

"That would be a no for me," Chicago said.

"What about you?," Tom asked Stacie.

"I like who I like," Stacie said staring at her cuticles. "And I don't like you."

"Good afternoon, class," Mrs. Abernathy says as she enters the room. "Get out Tom, Chicago. You aren't in this class and I know you're only here to cause trouble. So, get out. Now."

Tom and Chicago laughed and slowly made their way out. Tom looked back at Beca and gave her a smug smile. Beca just smirked at him and flipped him off.

"Okay, my lovelies," Mrs. Abernathy said. "Let's talk music."

Beca was driving Aubrey home after school and Aubrey mentioned Stacie.

"She's nice," Beca said and blushed slightly

"Oh, my God," Aubrey said. "You like her, too. I call dibs."

"Dibs?," Beca said. "She's not the last cookie in the cookie jar. She's a person."

"I have so much more in common with her than you do," Aubrey said.

"How do you know that?," Beca asked. "We just met her."

"I really like her, Beca," Aubrey said.

"I really like her, too," Bea said.

"Okay," Aubrey said. "How about this? Neither of us can ask her out. But, if she asks one of us the other has to accept it and leave her alone. Agreed?"

"I can live with that," Beca said. "Agreed."

Later that night, Aubrey was in her room and called Chloe.

"Hey, Brey," Chloe said. "How was your first day?"

"It was actually pretty good," Aubrey said.

Aubrey told Chloe about her classes and the people she met. Chloe filled Aubrey in on what was going on at Crestfield.

"Hey, Chlo," Aubrey said. "I need a favor."

"You know I'd do anything for you, Brey" Chloe said. "What is it?"

"I need you to flirt with Beca and ask her out," Aubrey said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note from BeChloeIsLegit: Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update. Zap wanted me to tell you it was all his fault, but it's not. You know how it is when two people are trying to bring something together as one and time is not your own. It tends to take a little longer to see the end result. So, bear with us as we maneuver our way through life and writing this story. We promise to do better on upcoming chapters. So, I'll shut up now and you can (hopefully) enjoy Chapter 3.**

* * *

"I need you to flirt with Beca and ask her out," Aubrey said.

"Why the sudden change?," Chloe asked, a bit surprised. "Just yesterday you were saying I wasn't allowed to call your stepsister hot."

"I know," Aubrey said, letting out a sigh. "There's this other new girl in Beca's grade, and we both like her. She's really, really pretty and there's just something about her. I've only talked to her briefly, but I get the feeling there's a lot more to her than she lets on."

"That doesn't feel like a good reason for me to flirt with Beca," Chloe said, her voice even as she thought about the situation. "I mean, sure I'd like to flirt with her, from what little I've seen I think she's totally my type. But, if she does end up with, um, what's the other girl's name?"

"Stacie," Aubrey said, a hint of longing in her voice as she thought of the tall brunette.

"If she does end up with Stacie, I don't want to be stuck wanting someone I can't have," Chloe explained. "I don't want to risk a friendship on some stupid unrequited crush."

"If it matters any, Beca thinks you're hot," Aubrey offered.

"Well, she's not wrong about that," Chloe giggled. "I totes am."

"Well, that's what she said," Aubrey said. When she realized what she'd said, she added "I can't believe I just said that."

"Well, it sounds like it was germane to the situation," Chloe said. "Regardless, did your mom and Ben say I could come over this weekend? Hey, maybe you could invite Stacie, too. That way I could assess things, and if I think I actually have a shot with Beca, I'll flirt with her."

"Yeah, my folks were all for the idea of you staying here," Aubrey acknowledged. "And since they want me to include Beca in whatever we do, maybe we could invite some of her other friends from music class that I told you about, including Stacie. I think you'd really like them. There's nobody like them at Crestfield and I kind of wish I could spend more time with them."

"Awww, Brey!," Chloe cooed. "You're making friends! That's awesome. You'll still make time for me right?"

"Of course I will, Chlo," Aubrey reassured the redhead. "You're my best friend and I could never replace you. Besides, we'll be together at Barden University next year."

"That's true, Chloe said. "Well, I'm glad you had a great day and I really can't wait to see you Friday. I love you, Brey. Never forget that."

"I love you too, Chloe," Aubrey said, a wide smile on her face. "I'll see you Friday."

 **~/~/~**

The next few days went by rather quickly for Aubrey. Tuesday and Wednesday saw her continuing to find her way around her new school and getting to know her new friends. Everyone loved the idea of a Girls' Weekend at Beca and Aubrey's. Jesse tried to play the 'lesbro' card to get an invite, which Beca quickly shot down with a warning to never use the phrase again.

Thursday saw things go off the rails a little. It started as a normal day, until it came time for lunch. Aubrey had the misfortune of walking into the cafeteria at the same time as Bumper and Tom.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Barden's newest lesbo," Bumper called out loudly.

"Such a waste if you ask me," Tom added. "I think it's because you haven't met the right guy yet."

"Oh wow, I've never thought of it that way," Aubrey deadpanned. "You're right, you're absolutely right. I just need someone to show me what I'm missing."

"You know I'd be more than happy to volunteer my services," Tom offered suggestively. "I'd show you a real good time."

"I'm sure you would," Aubrey said with a falsely sweet smile. "But you know, how do you know that you just haven't met the right guy? I could give my friend Luke from my old school a call. I'm sure he'd love to show _you_ a good time."

"What? I'm no fag," Tom protested when he caught on to what Aubrey was suggesting.

"But, how can you know if you've never been with a guy?," Aubrey asked innocently.

"That's not how it works!," Tom insisted.

"Strange, that's what you were just suggesting," Aubrey pointed out.

"Whatever. I get it, you're a bitch," Tom rolled his eyes. "Come on, Bumper. I'm hungry."

"If you find you're hungry for Luke let me know, I'll set you up," Aubrey called after him, to a round of laughter from those nearby. Aubrey smiled triumphantly and headed off to get her own lunch before heading to the table Beca and her friends sat at.

"That was really awesome how you put Tom in his place like that," Jesse praised, high fiving the blonde.

"I can't believe I hadn't thought of that," Beca added. "Well played, Posen. Well played."

 **~/~/~**

Aubrey rode the high of her triumph through fifth and sixth period. It was music class where things took another wrong turn. Aubrey entered the room, eager to spend more time with Stacie, hopefully getting to hear her sing some more. However, she found that there were no seats anywhere near her and the brunette was engaged in what appeared to be a significant conversation with Donald. The blonde grabbed a seat next to Emily, which unfortunately put her in front of Bumper.

She was incredibly grateful that Mrs. Abernathy started class not long after she sat down as she wasn't looking forward to the snide comments Bumper would have subjected her to. It was bad enough she had to suffer through him kicking the back of her chair and throwing little balls of paper at her when Mrs. Abernathy wasn't looking. Aubrey kept telling herself all she had to do was get through the class and she could talk to Stacie after. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Bumper let out a groan. She looked back to see him rubbing his forehead and looking at Beca.

"Bother Aubrey again, asshole," Beca whisper yelled. "And you'll be sucking your food through a straw."

Aubrey was surprised by Beca's actions but mouthed a 'thank you" to her when she glanced at Aubrey. Beca just smiled and turned back to listen to Mrs. Abernathy. And, much to Aubrey's delight, Bumper left her alone for the rest of the class.

Aubrey was glad when the class was finally over. She immediately stood up and looked to where Stacie was sitting. Her hopes were dashed once again though as she saw Stacie and Donald leaving the room together, barely acknowledging anyone else.

Aubrey sighed and walked out of class with Beca.

"Thanks for what you did with Bumper," Aubrey said.

"Hey, I may not like the circumstances surrounding our situation," Beca said. "But, we are family, and family sticks together."

Aubrey had a smile on her face as she followed Beca to her car. The drive home was quiet, except for the radio.

Friday came and Aubrey was determined to talk to Stacie. She barely remembers any of what the teachers said because she was so focused on getting to the cafeteria early to talk to Stacie. She is smiling as she hurries into the cafeteria and looks for Stacie. Her heart sank when she saw Stacie sitting at a different table with Donald by her side. The were fully engrossed in what appeared to be a heavy conversation. Aubrey's smile falls from her face as she gets her lunch and goes to join the others at their regular table.

"What's up with Donald and Stacie?," Beca asks much to Aubrey's surprise.

"Oh, they were paired for a biology project," Cynthia Rose tells her. "It's due on Tuesday of next week so everyone is scrambling to get it done."

"So, they're not dating?," Jesse asks.

"I don't think so," Cynthia Rose says. "They're just project partners."

"Good to know," Beca mumbles and Aubrey hears.

"My thoughts exactly," Aubrey thinks to herself.

Aubrey gets the chance to talk to Stacie during AP History and again during Music. They learn a bit more about each other and seem to enjoy each other's company. Beca seems to be a bit put out by all the attention Aubrey is getting from the leggy brunette, but decides to bide her time. She knows that once everyone gets together at her house on Saturday, she'll have plenty of chances to let Stacie get to know her better.

Music class ends and everyone leaves with comments about seeing everyone at Beca and Aubrey's the next day.

"I still don't see why I can't come," Jesse whines.

"It's GIRL'S only," Beca tells him. "No boys allowed."

"Fine," Jesse said sadly. "I'll see you guys on Monday."

Beca drives home and Aubrey is almost giddy with excitement. She gets to see Chloe in just a couple of hours. The girls are home and Ben and Carol are working together in the kitchen to get dinner ready. There is a knock on the door and Aubrey immediately jumps up with a squeal.

"Chloe's here!," Aubrey yells as she runs to the door.

Aubrey throws open the door and engulfs her friend in a tight hug. Chloe smiles and hugs her back.

"I can't believe you're here," Aubrey said.

"Believe it," Chloe said.

"Let her breathe, Aubrey," Beca said. "Come on in, Chloe. I'm Beca, the stepsister from Hell. I'm sure Aubrey's told you about me."

Chloe laughs and links her arm with Aubrey's as they walk into the house.

"Watch it, hobbit," Aubrey said. "I know where you sleep."

"I'll take Chloe's bag up," Beca said. "Is she staying in your room or the guest room?"

"The guest room," Aubrey responds.

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll probably stay up in my room until dinner. That way you two can plan my demise while I'm gone."

"Thanks, Beca," Chloe said sweetly as she watched the petite brunette walk upstairs. "She is so cute."

"Ugh," Aubrey said leading Chloe into the kitchen. "Can you keep it in your pants at least until tomorrow?"

"Chloe, dear, it's so good to see you," Carol said and hugged the redhead.

"Hi, Mrs. Mitchell," Chloe said returning the hug. "Mr. Mitchell, how are you? I want to thank you for allowing me to stay the weekend. My parents appreciate it as well."

"No thanks necessary," Ben said. "It's a pleasure to have you. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Why don't you girls go wash up."

"Let Beca know," Carol called after Aubrey as she leads Chloe out of the kitchen.

"Will do," Aubrey said.

The three girls come down to the dining room together and Beca is laughing at something Chloe said. They sit and start talking about the day's events. Aubrey even mentions how Beca stood up for her against Bumper that day.

"Aww, Becs," Ben said teasingly. "You like your sister."

"Stepsister," both Beca and Aubrey said simultaneously. They look at each other and start laughing.

"She's not half bad," Beca said with a shrug.

"She's tolerable," Aubrey said throwing a grin at Beca.

Ben and Carol look at each other and smile. They know there will still be some rough patches ahead, but for now, things are looking up.

"How's Crestfield, Chloe?," Carol asked. "Are you enjoying your classes?"

"Oh, totes," Chloe said with a smile. "Although it's not the same without my bestie by my side."

"I miss you, too," Aubrey said and gives Chloe a side hug.

"I hear we play Crestfield for Homecoming in a couple of weeks," Beca said. "We are so going to crush you guys."

"No way," Chloe said. "We are reigning State Champs and have almost all the same guys as last year."

"That's why we're going to win," Beca said with a snort. "We have new blood. They're younger, fresher, and BETTER."

"Brey?!," Chloe said. "Are you going to let her dis the Crestfield Cavaliers like that?"

"Sorry, Chlo," Aubrey said. "I'm a Barden Raider now. I'm going to have to go with Beca on this one."

"Hah!," Beca said with a big smile.

"I think we're just going to have wait and see," Chloe said with her arms crossed. "We could always bet on it. I mean, if you're so sure and everything."

Chloe throws a smirk at Beca and Aubrey. Beca narrowed her eyes and glared at Chloe.

"What kind of bet?," Beca asked as Aubrey looked on.

"I don't know yet," Chloe said. "But, I'll think of something before the weekend is over."

"Careful, Beca," Aubrey said. "She looks like a sweet, happy-go-lucky, wouldn't hurt a fly kind of girl, but she's shrewd and very cunning."

"I think I can handle anything she throws at me," Beca said.

"Okay, then," Aubrey said turning to look at Chloe. "It's on."

After dinner, Ben and Carol go out to meet some friends for drinks, leaving the three girls on their own. Beca invites Aubrey and Chloe to watch a movie with her and they all get settled in the family room.

After the movie the girls decide to turn in for the night. They all walk upstairs and Aubrey leads Chloe towards the guest room.

"Hey, Aubrey," Beca asked. "Did you want to sleep with Chloe?"

"Why?," Chloe jumps in. "Jealous if she does."

"What?," Beca says blushing. "I, no, I just. I hate you."

"You're so easy, Mitchell," Chloe says and she and Aubrey laugh at the flustered brunette.

"Well, Beale," Beca said regaining her composure. "What I meant was if you wanted to stay in Aubrey's room, we have a foldaway cot I can set up for you."

"That's okay, Beca," Aubrey said grinning. "Chloe likes to sleep in the nude so it's best if she stays in the guest room."

Beca looks at Aubrey and then at Chloe, unblinking and swallowing hard.

"You are so picturing me naked, aren't you?," Chloe said with a flirty smile.

"No," Beca said with a squeak. She clears her throat. "Of course not. I wasn't, I didn't, no, nope, no naked thoughts here."

"Maybe we should just turn in," Aubrey said trying to hold back a laugh. "Before you short circuit the poor girl."

"Well, I am pretty confident about all this," Chloe says looking at Beca as she waves her hand around the front of her body.

"You should be," Beca says her voice rising and cheeks a bright red.

Chloe laughs and says, "You really are too easy, Mitchell."

"I'm going to bed," Beca says with a huff and turns toward her room.

"Feel free to join me if you get lonely," Chloe calls after her.

Aubrey and Chloe start laughing again as the last they see of Beca for the night is her flipping Chloe off.


	4. Chapter 4

**BeChloeIsLegit: Hey guys, Zap and I want to thank you for all the reviews, favs, and follows. We appreciate it and hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Saturday morning finds Aubrey up early and ready for the get-together. She knocks on Beca's door to get her up.

"Come on, Beca," Aubrey says loudly to be heard through the door. "Get up. We've got a lot to do before the girls get here."

Aubrey knocks again and slowly opens the door. She peeks her head in and sees Beca huddled under a blanket, sound asleep. She slowly walks over to the sleeping girl and, with an evil grin, jumps on top of her.

"Beca, Beca, Beca," Aubrey says while jostling the girl. "Get up."

"Get off me, Posen," Beca mumbles. "It's Saturday and way too early to be up."

"It's after 9:00," Aubrey says pulling at the blanket. "We have to get to the store and buy snacks and drinks for the get-together."

"So, go buy them," Beca says trying to shove the blonde off her.

"WE have to go," Aubrey says. "They're your friends. You know what they like better than I do."

"Fine," Beca says, knowing she's not going to be able to get back to sleep now. "But, you're buying me breakfast."

"Deal," Aubrey said climbing off the bed. "I'm going to get Chloe up now. She's as bad as you are when it comes to sleeping."

Aubrey runs off to the guest room and Beca hears a scream.

Carol, hearing the scream down in the kitchen, says, "I guess that means the girls are up."

Beca jumps up and runs into the guest room to see Chloe sitting up in the bed with the blankets around her waist and her naked torso there for all to see. Aubrey is red-faced and covering her eyes with one hand. Chloe is half asleep when she suddenly realizes Beca has come into the room. She notices that Beca is looking at her wide-eyed and she smirks.

"See something you like, Mitchell?," Chloe asks and laughs as Beca blushes and looks away.

"Chloe," Aubrey says waving her hand around. "Please cover yourself."

"Fine," Chloe says as she pulls the blanket up and uses her arms to hold it in place. "I'm covered. God, you're both girls and act like you've never seen boobs before."

"I thought we were just messing with Beca when I said you slept in the nude," Aubrey says.

"I've honestly never slept nude before," Chloe said with a shrug. "It sounded like a good idea and I thought this would be a good time to try it. I didn't know you were going to just barge into my room. Although, Beca doesn't seem to mind as much as you do," Chloe finishes with a cheeky grin.

Beca doesn't say anything. She just turns and walks out of the room, hearing Chloe's laughter follow her down the hall.

Beca is ready before the other two girls. She leaves her room and yells to Aubrey that she's ready to go and they have five minutes to get downstairs. Aubrey yells to Chloe to hurry up. The two girls are done and rush downstairs to find Beca talking to Ben and Carol.

"Good morning, mom," Aubrey said. "Morning, Ben."

"Good morning," Ben said and sips his coffee.

"Good morning, girls," Carol said and gives Aubrey a quick hug. "How'd you sleep, Chloe?"

"Very well, thank you," Chloe said.

"Come on, Posen," Beca whines. "You owe me breakfast."

"Fine, fine," Aubrey said. "Let's go."

"We'll be gone by the time you get back," Carol said. "And, we won't be back until really late tonight."

"Have fun," Aubrey says and she is practically dragged out of the house by Beca.

The girls make it home several hours later with bags of snacks and drinks. They unload everything and start getting ready for the other girls' arrival.

"What time did you tell everyone to be here?," Aubrey asks Beca.

"I said around 2:00 pm," Beca said. "So we have about an hour before they get here. Everyone except CR is planning to stay the night."

"Where is everyone sleeping?," Chloe asked.

"I don't know, probably in the game room," Beca says. "We'll lay out blankets and spread out on the floor. I'll gather some up if you two start getting the snacks and everything ready."

"Okay," Aubrey says and they get to work.

It was close to 2:00 when the doorbell rings. It was Stacie and Cynthia Rose. Soon after Emily, Flo, and Amy show up. The girls were all in the game room discussing whether to watch a movie or play a game. Chloe was standing next to Aubrey watching Beca interact with her friends.

"So, that's Stacie," Chloe said looking at the tall brunette.

"Yeah," Aubrey said with a sigh. "That's Stacie."

"She's kinda hot," Chloe said and shrugged. "I guess."

'You guess?," Aubrey said looking at Chloe. "She's the hottest girl around."

"Excuse you," Chloe said with a playful nudge. "I am way hotter than she is. Besides, I definitely think Beca is hotter than Stacie."

"So, you'll actually flirt with Beca so she knows you like her?," Aubrey said hopefully. "And, get her to like you so I can be with Stacie?"

"Are you sure Stacie is even into girls?," Chloe asked.

"Fairly sure," Aubrey said. "She said she likes who she likes, so I'd say that's a pretty good indication. Can you do something to get Beca away from her so I can at least talk to Stacie?"

"I have a better idea," Chloe said and spoke so the other girls could hear her. "Who wants to play 'Truth or Dare'?"

"Yes," Stacie said and smiled. "I love that game. You learn so much about people."

Beca scoffs at the idea but the others are all for it. They gather in a circle and Chloe says she'll go first.

"I don't really know all of you, so I'm going to have to ask Beca," Chloe said looking at the girl. "Beca, Truth or Dare?"

Beca looks around at everyone and finally looks at Chloe. "Truth?"

"Would you ever date two people at once if you could get away with it?," Chloe asked.

"Dude, no," Beca said. "I'm not a cheater."

"Good to know," Chloe mumbles and then a bit louder. "Okay, Beca, it's your turn."

"Um, okay, Stacie," Beca said. "Truth or Dare?"

"Hmm, I'll choose truth for the first round," Stacie said.

"Okay," Beca said. "If you could have one physical feature of someone in this room, what would that be?"

"I would kill to have Chloe's eyes," Stacie said without hesitation.

"Why, thank you," Chloe said with a beaming smile. "It's your turn."

The game continued as truths and dares were traded back and forth. Everyone was actually having a good time. Amy had just finished a dare of having to perform a mermaid dance.

"Chloe, truth or dare?," Amy asked.

"I'll take truth," Chloe said.

"Have you ever flirted with your best friend's sibling?," Amy asked.

"Yes," Chloe said winking at Beca causing the girl to blush. "She's so easy," she added and laughed.

"My turn," Chloe said. "Stacie, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Stacie said.

"Blonde or brunette?," Chloe asked. She noticed that both Aubrey and Beca were looking at Stacie intently, waiting for her answer.

"I prefer blondes," Stacie said.

Chloe noticed how Beca seemed to deflate hearing Stacie's response, whereas she heard Aubrey mumble an excited 'yes!'

"My turn," Stacie said. "Emily, truth or dare."

"I'll take truth," Emily said.

"Boo!," Amy yells out. "Come on, Emily, you've picked truth every time. You're boring so pick dare. Dare. Dare. Dare. Dare-"

"Fine," Emily says rolling her eyes. "I pick dare."

"Close your eyes, scroll through your contacts list," Stacie said. "AND text ' _Look behind you'_ to a random person."

Emily looks around the room and sees everyone staring at her. She pulls out her phone and pulls up her texts. She scrolls and sends a text to the person it lands on.

"Who'd it go to?," Stacie asked.

"My mom," Emily says and just then her phone rings. "And, that's her."

Emily gets up and walks upstairs as she answers the phone. The girls all wait until she is out of sight before they start laughing.

"Oh, my God, Stacie," Flo says. "That was too much."

"Knowing Emily's mom, she'll be awhile," Beca said. "Let's stop and order pizza or something. I'm getting hungry."

"Let's get pizza," Stacie said. "I want pineapple and ham. I love it."

"Me, too," Beca said.

"Really?," Aubrey said looking at Beca with raised eyebrows. Beca ignored Aubrey and smiled at Stacie.

"I like meat lover's," Amy said. "Make it a large."

The other girls shouted out what they wanted and Beca went to their home computer and pulled up the pizza place she liked. She started putting in the order when Chloe came up behind her.

"I've never had pizza from this place," Chloe said. "What do you recommend?"

Beca looked behind her and saw the girls deep in conversation. She smiles up at Chloe.

"I usually just order the six-cheese," Beca said. "Sometimes with tomato and onion."

"I thought you said you like pineapple and ham," Chloe said.

"Ew, God no," Beca said crinkling her nose in disgust. "I just said I liked it because Stacie does. Aubrey knows I hate fruit on my pizza." Beca looks around again to make sure no one is listening. "I know Aubrey really likes Stacie. I did too, at first. But now she's a friend and I don't date my friends. It's just too weird. Aubrey and I promised we wouldn't ask Stacie out so I thought I'd mess with Aubrey a bit and make her think I still like Stacie like that."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Chloe said shaking her head. "Order me a cheese with tomato and onion. I'll share."

"Yes," Beca said and finishes the order. She turns back to the girls and says, "Pizza should be here in about forty minutes."

"Let's watch a movie while we eat," CR suggested.

"Do we have to?," Beca asked with a groan.

"Yes, we have to," Aubrey said. "How about a romantic movie?"

"Yes," Stacie said.

"No," Beca said.

"What?," Stacie asked looking at Beca. "You don't like romantic movies?"

"Beca doesn't like _any_ movie," Amy said with a laugh.

"WHAT?," Stacie asked in disbelief looking at Beca. "I may have to rethink this friendship if you don't like movies. There's nothing like seeing one in a theater though. Especially with someone hot sitting next to you. The two of you making out in the back row."

Beca blushes as Stacie is talking and leaning into her, stopping just inches away from Beca's face. Beca swallows hard because it feels like maybe Stacie is going to kiss her which causes Beca to blush even more.

"I love movies," Aubrey said attempting to divert Stacie's attention. "I don't think they're too predictable, like Beca does."

"Chloe's right," Stacie said moving away from a blushing Beca. "You're so easy. And you're kind of cute when you blush."

Stacie gives Beca a quick kiss on the cheek, turns and starts talking about different movies she's seen with Aubrey. Beca let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She looks over at Chloe and Chloe winks at her. Beca's stomach started feeling funny. The girls continued their discussion on what movie to watch.

After the first movie CR has to leave. She tells Chloe it was nice to meet her and she hoped to see her again. Beca walks upstairs with CR.

"Sorry, I can't spend the night," CR said. "I just have to get up early for work tomorrow."

"We understand," Beca said. "Next time we'll do it on a Friday night so you can stay. And hopefully we can swing it so Ashley and Jessica don't have some big romantic date already planned."

"Sounds good," CR said. "I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Drive safe," Beca calls out as CR is getting into her car. CR gives Beca a wave and drives off.

Beca makes her way downstairs to find the girls discussing yet another movie to watch.

"Hey, shortstack," Amy calls out to Beca. "What are all these blankets for?"

"We're going to use them to sleep on," Beca said. "We figure we'd all just spread out on the floor down here."

"Cool," Amy said and grabbed a couple of blankets. She commandeered some space and spread out the blankets. The other girls decided to follow suit. Beca somehow found herself between Chloe and Stacie, with Aubrey on the other side of Stacie.

They were watching _The Conjuring_ and Beca spent most of the movie with Chloe and Stacie clutching her arm or their heads buried in her neck. She had looked over at Aubrey at one point and saw her glaring at Beca like it was her fault. She saw Aubrey get up and angrily stomp up the stairs.

"Shit!," Beca muttered and removed herself from Chloe and Stacie's grasp. She went after Aubrey, finding her in the kitchen slamming cupboard doors.

"Hey," Beca said. "Are you okay? I didn't expect Chloe or Stacie to do that."

"I guess we know who Stacie's going to ask out," Aubrey said wiping away a tear.

"I don't want to go out with Stacie," Beca said. "Truth is, I think of her as a friend and I don't date my friends."

"I really like her, Beca," Aubrey said. "But, I can't be with her if she wants you, even if you don't want her. I'll always be wondering if she's with me just so she can be close to you."

"Aubrey," Beca said. "She hasn't even asked me out and I don't think she will. I think she was just having fun messing with me like Chloe was. You and I have come a long way this week. We're family. I wouldn't do something that I know will hurt any member of my family. Please don't let this come between us."

"I think it's too late for that," Aubrey said and left Beca standing in the kitchen. She could hear Aubrey going upstairs and then her bedroom door closing.

"Fuck," Beca said and runs her hand through her hair.

"You okay?," Chloe asks as she walks into the kitchen. "Where's Brey?"

"She's in her room," Beca said looking down at the floor and wiping a tear from her cheek.

Chloe sees this and goes over and pulls Beca into a hug. "Want to tell me what happened?," she asks.

"She hates me," Beca said. "I thought we were making some progress and really becoming sisters, you know? But this Stacie thing is coming between us. She thinks Stacie wants me so even if I don't go out with Stacie, she's given up on her. Maybe you can talk to her. Get her to come back downstairs."

"Brey is pretty stubborn," Chloe said. "It's best to leave her alone for a bit. I'll check on her before we decide to turn in."

"Thanks," Beca said. "I should get back downstairs. No telling what kind of torture Amy is putting Emily through."

Beca and Chloe go back downstairs and Beca takes the blankets that Chloe had been laying on. Chloe knows what she's doing and doesn't question it. She just lays on the blankets that Beca had been on so that now she was laying next to Stacie.

"Why did you and Beca switch places?" Stacie asks Chloe.

"Because Amy kicks and punches in her sleep," Beca replies having heard Stacie. "I didn't want to subject Chloe to the inevitable bruises. I'm used to it."

"Yeah," Emily adds. "One time we were sleeping on the floor in Ashley's basement, all spread out like this. The next morning, there were five of us practically laying on top of each other on one side of the room with Amy spread out over most of the other half."

"True story," Amy says with a proud smirk. "And that's why I make sure we all have a bed when we have a sleepover at _my_ house."

"Oh," Stacie says and lays down. "Where's Aubrey? Is she coming back?"

"She wasn't feeling well so she went to bed," Chloe said. "I'll check on her before we go to sleep."

Flo starts the next movie and when it's done the girls decide to call it a night. Emily and Flo help Beca gather up the dirty dishes and trash and take everything to the kitchen. Chloe goes go to check on Aubrey and finds her asleep. The girls all meet back downstairs and Chloe tells them Aubrey is sleeping. Beca sighs and they all settle down and fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Beca is sleeping comfortably when her dreams are invaded by a voice calling her name. "Beca. Beca, wake up." She snuggles closer and holds tighter to the warmth that envelops her and mumbles incoherently. She is suddenly being shaken awake.

"Beca, for serious," she hears Chloe's voice say. "As much as I love this cuddly you, I have to pee."

Beca's eyes shoot open and notices she is big spooning Chloe. "What the hell?," she says and pulls away from Chloe.

"Oh, shut up," Chloe says with a grin. "You loved it until I said I had to pee. I want to check on Aubrey, too." Chloe gets up and heads upstairs to the bathroom and to check on Aubrey.

Beca sits up and wipes her hands down her face. She sees Stacie looking at her with a smirk on her face.

"So, you and Chloe, huh?," Stacie asks laughing when Beca's face turns bright red.

"I'm not. It isn't," Beca stuttered causing Stacie to laugh harder. "Shut up. I was probably trying to get away from the octo-Aussie over there. Look at her. She's only about an inch taller than me yet she takes up more space than you, me, AND Chloe."

"Beca," Amy whined. "It's too early. Be quiet."

"It's almost 10:00, Ames," Beca said. "Get up. I'm going to make pancakes for breakfast."

"Pancakes?," Amy said and sat straight up. "I'm in."

"Good," Beca said standing and stretching. "Wake up Emily and Flo and come upstairs."

"I'll go with you," Stacie said. "I want to see how Aubrey is doing."

"You might want to let that go for now," Beca said as they started up the stairs. "I don't think we'll be seeing her this morning."

"Is she that sick?," Stacie asked looking concerned.

"Kind of," Beca said as they enter the kitchen. Ben and Carol are sitting around the counter, drinking their coffee. "Hey, Carol. Hey, Dad. How was your night last night?"

"It was fun," Carol said. "We would have let you know we were home, but everyone was out like a light."

"Oh, this is Stacie Conrad," Beca said introducing the girl. "This is my dad, Ben Mitchell. And my stepmom, Aubrey's mom, Carol Pos- I mean Mitchell."

"Nice to meet you, Stacie," Carol said, smiling at the leggy brunette.

"Did the girls treat you right last night?," Ben asked. "I know how they can be with a newbie."

"Dad, stop," Beca said rolling her eyes. "You're going to scare her away."

"It's nice meeting you both," Stacie said with a laugh. "The girls treated me fine. It's fun getting to know them all."

"Oh, hey, Chloe," Beca said as Chloe walked into the kitchen. "Did you check on Aubrey? How is she feeling this morning?"

"Oh, um, she's really tired," Chloe said. "She said she didn't sleep very well and was going to stay in bed for a bit."

Beca was upset but tried not to show it. Carol could tell something was bothering the girl but decided to wait until her friends were gone to ask her about.

"Aubrey's not feeling well?," Carol asked. "I'm going to go check on her."

"I'll come with you," Ben said. "I need to get dressed. Save me some pancakes, Beca."

"You're making pancakes?," Chloe asked.

"Yep," Beca said. "It's one of my specialities. Do you two want some coffee?"

Both girls said yes and Beca poured three cups and set up the coffee maker to make more.

"Do you have any cream?," Chloe asked.

"There's half and half In the fridge," Beca said as she started making the pancake batter. "Help yourself. Sugar's on the counter."

Emily, Flo, and Amy make their way into the kitchen and join Stacie and Chloe at the counter.

"Domestic Beca is my favorite Beca," Emily says watching Beca move around the kitchen.

"Keep talking like that and no pancakes for you," Beca says flicking some of the batter at the younger girl. Emily squealed and wiped at the little bit of batter that hit her cheek.

Beca was plating more pancakes when Ben and Carol came back down. Beca looked expectantly at Carol.

"Sorry, girls," Carol said. "Aubrey sends her apologies but she's still not feeling well enough to come down. She said she'll see you all at school tomorrow."

Beca nods her head and then introduces Carol to the rest of her friends. Carol remembers Amy from the wedding and starts chatting with her while they ate.

"These pancakes are really good, Becs," Chloe said.

"Becs?," Ben mouths to Beca with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up," Beca mumbles causing Ben to laugh.

"Thanks for the pancakes, Beca," Stacie said wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I'm going to get dressed. My mom should be picking me up soon."

Stacie leaves and goes downstairs. Chloe looks at Beca and Beca is deep in thought. She reaches across the counter and touches her hand causing Beca to jerk her hand back.

"Sorry," Chloe said. "You were kind of deep in thought. Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Beca said.

"Hey, Amy," Stacie says as she comes back to the kitchen. "My mom texted that she got called into work and can't pick me up. Can you give me a ride? Oh, and everyone's phone seemed to be buzzing and pinging so I grabbed them all." Stacie set the phones on the counter and the girls grabbed theirs.

"My mom's wanting to know when I'll be home," Emily said looking at her phone. "Which means I need to get home sooner rather than later."

"Okay, okay," Amy said. "We'll leave after we help Beca clean up."

"If you girls need to leave," Chloe said. "I'll help Beca. I won't be leaving until later this afternoon."

"You don't have to do that," Beca said.

"You heard the lady," Amy said jumping up and heading toward the basement door. "Let's get changed before Red changes her mind."

Beca and Chloe share a laugh over Amy's antics. Carol and Ben laugh as well and Carol turns to the two girls.

"Hey, you two," Carol says. "Ben and I are going to some faculty function over at the University. We'll be gone for a few hours."

Carol and Ben say a farewell and leave. Beca and Chloe start cleaning the kitchen. Beca is frowning and her face shows her worry.

"Hey," Chloe says giving Beca a light hip check as they stand at the sink washing and drying the dishes. "Aubrey will come around,. You'll see. Stop worrying so much."

"I can't help it," Beca said. "I don't want Aubrey upset with me. Or because of me."

Beca doesn't say any more as she hears the girls coming up the stairs. She dries her hands and turns to face them as they walk into the kitchen.

"We folded all the blankets and left them on the chair," Flo said.

"Thanks," Beca replied. "You guys all ready to go?"

"Yeah," Emily said. "If we forgot anything you can bring it to school for us tomorrow."

"I can do that," Beca said.

"Thanks for everything, shortstuff," Amy said. "Next one will be at my house. Chloe you're invited, too. You're not bad for a soulless ginger."

"Um, thanks?," Chloe said and smiled.

"It was nice meeting you, Chloe," Emily said with a smile.

"Yeah," Flo said. "Nice meeting you."

"Thanks, girls," Chloe said sincerely. "It was nice meeting and getting to know all of you." She looked at Beca and said she was going to go talk to Aubrey.

"Please tell Aubrey we all hope she feels better," Stacie said. "And, we'll see her at school tomorrow."

"I'll tell her," Chloe said and left the kitchen.

"Amy, drive safe and I'll see you all tomorrow," Beca said and led the girls to the front door.

There was a chorus of goodbyes as the girls all followed Amy out to her car. Beca gave them a wave as they pulled away. She went back into the house and stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up. She muttered a 'fuck it' and ran upstairs.

Once upstairs she went to Aubrey's room. The door was slightly open and she started to walk in but stopped when she heard Aubrey and Chloe talking.

"It was just Stacie messing with Beca because it's fun to see her get all flustered," she heard Chloe say. "I made her blush a few times without really trying."

"Yeah, well you seem to have lost your touch," Aubrey said with some anger in her voice. "You were supposed to flirt with Beca so she'd start liking you and I could be with Stacie. Not make it so Stacie liked Beca more."

Beca threw the door open causing the two girls to jump. She looked at Chloe.

"You flirted with me so that I would fall for you and Aubrey could get Stacie?," Beca asked the hurt obvious in her voice.

"Beca, it's not like that," Chloe said standing and reaching for the girl.

"NO!," Beca said backing away. "Don't touch me." Chloe dropped her hands and Beca turned to look at Aubrey. "I can't believe I actually felt bad for you. And this whole time you both were just playing me. It's no wonder you two are best friends. You're both just a couple of selfish bitches who think of no one but themselves. I am done with you both."

Beca turned and stormed out of the room. She ran to her room and slammed the door, locking it behind her.

"Beca!," Chloe called out. She turned to look at Aubrey. "I hope you're happy now. You know I really like Beca. I really thought I had a shot with her, but thanks to you, she will probably never want to see or speak to me again. I can't believe I agreed to do this. Beca's right, we're both selfish bitches. And, I for one am going to try and fix things with Beca."

Without waiting to hear whatever Aubrey may have said, Chloe stormed out. She stood outside Beca's bedroom door before she lightly knocked.

"Beca?," Chloe called out. "Can we talk? Please?"

She tried the knob and found the door was locked.

"Go away, Chloe," Beca called out. "I don't want to talk to you or see you."

Chloe let out a sigh and decided to leave her alone for now. She went to the guest room and gathered her stuff and got dressed. Once she was ready, she took her suitcase downstairs and straight out to her car. She got in and sent a text to Aubrey just saying she went home.

Aubrey saw the text and threw her phone across the room. She fell back on her bed and let the tears flow. She had really messed up everything. Chloe was mad at her. Beca was mad at her. Hell, she was even mad a herself.

Later that afternoon, Carol and Ben return home to an eerily quiet house. Carol is surprised to see Chloe's car gone. She had expected the redhead to stay until after dinner. She tells Ben she's going to check on the girls. She first looks in on Aubrey, who she finds fast asleep. She then goes to Beca's room and knocks lightly. She doesn't hear anything coming from inside the room and tries the door. It's locked so she knocks a little louder.

"Beca, it's me," she says through the closed door.

A moment later she hears the door unlock and Beca standing before her. She can see the girl has been crying and follows Beca into her room. Beca sits on her bed and Carol sits next to her.

"Want to tell me what happened?," Carol asks and Beca just shrugs. "I can tell you've been crying."

The tears start falling again and Beca relays to Carol everything that happened after they left. Carol pulled Beca into a hug and held her.

"So, you really like Chloe and you feel like she and Aubrey played you," Carol said. "Is that the gist of it?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "What did I do to them to make them do that to me?"

"Honey, I don't think it's as black and white as you're making it out to be," Carol said. "I've known Chloe a long time and I can tell she really does like you. Maybe Aubrey did ask her to flirt with you and try to keep you away from Stacie, but I think Chloe did it as much for her benefit as she did for Aubrey's."

"But, I told Aubrey I wasn't interested in Stacie like that," Beca said. "Several times. And she still got mad at me because Stacie was being all flirty with me and stuff."

"I know it's hard, but maybe you could cut Aubrey some slack," Carol said. "She's just hurt right now. Give her a day or two and she'll come around. Before you know it you two will be fighting over the bathroom instead of over some girl."

"I hope you're right," Beca said pulling out of Carol's arms and wiping her face. "So, you think Chloe really likes me?"

 **~/~/~**

The next morning, Aubrey couldn't meet Beca's eyes. She wanted to apologize but she just didn't know how. Things were quiet around the breakfast table except for the occasional fork hitting a plate, or Ben asking Carol about dinner plans. Beca finished her breakfast and took her dishes to the sink. She rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. She turned to look at Aubrey and gave a heavy sigh and started to walk out of the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway and looked back Aubrey again.

"Aubrey," Beca called causing Aubrey to look at her. "If you want a ride to school, I'll be leaving in 10 minutes." Beca didn't wait for a response and went upstairs to finish getting ready for school.

Carol looked at Aubrey. "She's trying to extend an olive branch. The ball's in your court now."

"Can you drop me off at school?," Aubrey asked quietly. "I'm not ready to spend even ten minutes alone in a car with Beca right now."

Carol sighs and agrees to drive Aubrey. Beca was disappointed but decided to forget about it. She drove to school and met up with Jesse and Amy. Stacie met them as they were walking to their first classes.

"Did Aubrey come to school today?," Stacie asked Beca.

"Yeah, she had her mom bring her," Beca told her. "You'll get to see her at lunch."

"Good," Stacie said. "I've been worried about her. I didn't have either of your numbers to check on her yesterday after we left. I want to make sure I get them at lunch."

"You have my number, right?," Amy said. "The rest can give you theirs at lunch, too. We even have a group chat we use."

"I'll see you losers later," Beca said as she turned off to her class.

Beca kept checking the clock wanting the class to be over so she could hopefully get Aubrey to talk to her. As soon as the bell rang Beca was out of her seat and rushing to her next class. She looks around and doesn't see Aubrey. She sits and watches the door. Aubrey comes rushing in just before the bell rings and doesn't sit with Beca and Amy like she usually does. Beca slumps down in her seat.

"What's up with you, Beca?," Amy whispers to her.

"Aubrey's not talking to me," Beca whispered back. "I got mad and yelled at her yesterday. I want to apologize but she's ignoring me."

"Send her a text," Amy said. "Maybe that will get her to talk to you."

"I'm such an idiot," Beca said. "I should have thought of that."

Beca pulls out her phone and hides it in her lap so the teacher doesn't catch her. She pulls up Aubrey's number.

 _Beca: Hey, I just want to apologize for yesterday and wanted to know if you could give me Chloe's number so I can apologize to her too_

Beca hits send and looks over at Aubrey. She sees Aubrey look down at her pocket so she knows the text went through. Now she'll just have to wait to see if Aubrey responds.

Beca's phone stays silent through the next two classes. Just as she's walking into the cafeteria her phone buzzes in her pocket. She pulls it out and sees it's a text from Aubrey saying she's sorry too and a phone number. Beca smiles and walks over to her regular table.

"So, I hear your "girls' weekend" was fun," Jesse said sounding a bit put out.

"Get over it, Jesse," Beca said with a laugh. "As much as you want to be, you're not a girl."

"Hey," Beca hears from behind her. She turns to see Aubrey standing there with a worried look on her face. Beca smacks Jesse in the arm.

"Move over, loser," Beca said. "Give Aubrey some room."

Jesse moves closer to Beca and Aubrey sits down with a quiet "thanks."

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Aubrey," Emily says.

"Were you sick?," Jesse asks her.

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "But, I'm feeling much better now."

Stacie comes to the table and Aubrey smiles when she sees her. Her smile falters when she notices that Donald is right behind her. They both sit at the table and Stacie introduces Donald around to those who don't know him. Aubrey frowns as she sees the two having a whispered conversation. Donald suddenly gets up and looks at the group.

"It was nice meeting you guys," Donald says and then looks at Stacie. "I'll see you at tryouts."

Donald gives Stacie a quick kiss on the cheek and walks away. Aubrey looks away and suddenly finds her lunch very interesting.

"Tryouts?," Ashley asks.

"Yeah," Stacie said. "Donald and I are trying out for the cheerleading squad."

"Hey, Aubrey," Beca says looking past Jesse to see her. "Didn't you say you were going to try and get on the cheer squad?"

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "I almost forgot they were today. Um, do you think you could stay after and give me a ride home?"

"Absolutely," Beca said with a smile.

"Jessica and I were talking about trying out, too," Emily says and Jessica nods her head in agreement.

"Why don't we all stay after and watch tryouts," Beca said. "Show our support for our friends."

"Watching hot girls jump around in skimpy shorts and crop tops," CR said. "Hell yeah, I'm in."

"Me, too," Ashley said taking Jessica's hand. "Gotta root for my girl."

"If everyone else is going, I'll go," Fat Amy says.

"I'd love to watch the tryouts," Jesse said with a big smile.

"I'm surprised you're not going to try out," Beca says with a smirk. "Seeing how you want to _be_ 'one of the girls' and all."

The others at the table start laughing and Jesse turns red.

"I hate you," Jesse says and Beca laughs even harder.


	6. Chapter 6

After lunch, as Beca waited for AP History to start, she took the opportunity to send a text to Chloe. She didn't care too much about getting caught because she knew she could get away with a lot from most teachers because her grades were so good.

Beca: _Hey, it's Beca. Aubrey gave me your number. I'm sorry for what I said. Carol set me straight. Well, you know what I mean. I rushed to judgment and I'm really sorry. Forgive me? I'd like a chance to start over_.

After hitting send, she put her phone down. She looked up and saw Aubrey and Stacie talking to each other. Whatever Stacie had said put a smile on Aubrey's face, which in turn caused Beca to smile. It was a sign that things were returning to normal. She genuinely hoped things worked out between the two. Soon enough the bell rang signifying the start of the period.

The rest of the afternoon went quickly. Beca was a little nervous thought that she hadn't gotten a response from Chloe. She felt her phone vibrate as she took her seat in music class. Pulling it out, she smiled when she saw that Chloe had in fact responded.

Chloe: _Sorry, couldn't respond till now. You're forgiven. I'm sorry for how I acted too. No need to start over, moving on is better. On my way home I noticed a place called Alex's Diner. It's halfway between your place and mine, so I thought maybe we could meet there and hang out sometime?_

Beca smiled as she read the response, she knew exactly the place Chloe was talking about.

Beca: _Yeah I know the place and by hangout do you mean like a date?_

"Ms. Mitchell, could you at least pretend to pay attention in class?," Gail called out. Beca looked up rather sheepishly.

"Sorry," She said, glancing at the whiteboard where she saw 'The British Invasion' written in big letters. "So, we're talking about how Keith Richards can't be killed by conventional weapons and Ringo Starr is the only Beatle left alive?"

"Um, no, Paul McCartney's alive," Theo chimed in.

"Abbey Road, dude," Beca called out. "John is Jesus, Ringo's the Undertaker, 'Paul', or William Campbell, is the corpse, and George is the gravedigger."

"What's Abbey Road?," Bumper asked, confused.

"Seriously? Next thing you're going to tell me is you've never heard of _Dark Side of the Moon_ ," Beca responds in disbelief. "I mean, I know you like Sisqo and all, but this is basic stuff."

"Beca, though she's having a bit of fun with urban legends, is right," Gail took control of the conversation. "During the 60s and 70s, many British bands put out what have gone on to be considered iconic albums. Your assignment is to pick an album from a British band of the era, do a report on it, and perform one of its major songs. Beca, you can go back to texting now. Everyone else, start doing your research, I expect your album selections by Wednesday."

Beca waited until they were outside on the bleachers to check her phone again. She smirked when she glanced down at her phone and saw that Chloe had responded.

Chloe: _If that's what you want it to be. Wanna go after school today?_

Beca: _I'd love for it to be a date but I can't today. I'm stuck at school so I can give Aubrey a ride home after cheerleading tryouts_

Chloe: _Admit it. You just want to check out the girls :-p_

Beca: _I mean, I'm only human and I have eyes. Want to meet up tomorrow?_

Chloe: _Is 4:00 good for you?_

Beca: _4:00 is perfect Just like you._

Chloe: _Smooth Mitchell. Save something for tomorrow_

"Here they come," Jesse said spying Stacie, Aubrey, Emily, and Jessica running out to the field.

Beca: _Sorry I have to go Tryouts are starting Text me later?_

Chloe: _Totes_

"Totes?," Beca thought. She smiled as she put her phone in her pocket. The group of friends were cheering and calling to the girls. They all smile and wave at them.

"This is all so exciting," Emily says enthusiastically as they stood on the field. "And, there's only nine girls here. Our odds are really good."

"This is weird for me," Aubrey said. "I made Crestfield's squad in my Freshman year and was automatically on it every year after that. I was on track to be Captain with Chloe this year."

"I bet you looked hot in your cheerleading uniform," Stacie said and winked at her, causing a blush to creep up Aubrey's cheeks.

A woman, with six girls trailing behind her, walked over to the group of girls waiting on the field. One of the girls veered away and went to where the others were standing. She asked for their names and wrote them down on a clipboard. She returned to stand by the current squad of cheerleaders.

"I'm Ms. Pantone, the coach," the woman said getting everyone's attention. "This is Tori and Isis, your co-Captains. We only need to fill six spots on the squad so show us your best."

"We will show you a short routine," Tori says. "We will then break you down in groups of four and you will perform the routine for us."

"This is your only shot girls," Isis tells them. "Make it a good one."

The nine girls look around, some showing a lot of confidence, some not so much.

"Where's Donald?," Stacie mutters and looks around. She sees him and two other guys running over to the group. "Ms. Pantone, I think those guys want to tryout."

The coach looks up when she hears her name. All heads turn to watch the boys until they join the group.

"You're late," Ms. Pantone says.

"Sorry, coach," Donald says. "Coach Smith wouldn't let us use the locker room until the football team was out."

"Fine," Ms. Pantone said. "Tori, get their names and tell them what they missed." Tori did as instructed and returned to her position next to Ms. Pantone. "Okay, ladies," Ms. Pantone said and looked at the boys, "and gentlemen. Take a seat and watch closely. The girls will run through the routine a couple of times. Then it will be your turn."

Donald and the two boys sat near Stacie and the other girls.

"Hey, Beca," CR called out causing the girl to look at her. "Who were you texting that had you all smiley?"

"Chloe," Beca said with a smile. "We're meeting up tomorrow after school."

"Like a date?," CR asked. At Beca's nod she said, "Damn, girl, she's hot."

"Yeah, she is," Beca said still smiling.

"Do you think the carpet matches the drapes?," Amy asked.

"Amy!," Jesse said face reddening. "Why would you even ask that?"

"What?," Amy asked. "I'm just curious to know if that's her natural hair color. Because if it is, she has no soul. I'm just looking out for Beca because she might be trying to steal Beca's soul."

"When you look like Chloe," Beca said. "She can steal anything she wants."

CR laughed and gave Beca a high-five. They turned and watched as the cheer squad ran through the routine a second time.

"This is fairly easy stuff," Aubrey said watching the routine. "We'll nail it."

Stacie and Donald nod as they all watch every move the cheer squad makes. In the stands, Beca felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw a text and picture message from Chloe. She opened it and read the text.

Chloe: _Something for you to think about while watching cheer tryouts_

Beca scrolled down and saw a picture of Chloe in her cheer outfit. "Wow!" The others on the bleachers all turn to look at her. Her face turned red. "Sorry." They all turn back to watch the tryouts and Beca took a picture of herself, biting her fist and sent it to Chloe.

"Okay, I'm going to call out your names and you will come up here and do the routine you just saw," Tori told the eager group. "We are looking for pep, skill, and rhythm. First group will be Amanda, Lisa, Ebony, and David. Get up here and show us your what you got."

Tori sat down with the other cheerleaders and motioned for them to begin. They all looked at each other and the one named Ebony shrugged and started the routine. The others quickly followed and they ran through the routine. Tori thanked them and they sat back down.

"Next up are Stacie, Aubrey, Donald, and Katie," Tori called out.

Beca and the gang cheered when they saw Stacie and Aubrey stand up. Aubrey blushed and Stacie blew them all a kiss. They did the routine and got another cheer from their friends when they finished. The four sat back down.

"Jessica, Emily, Steve, and Marcy," Tori called out.

The stands were alive with yelling and cheering for Emily and Jessica. The girls smiled at their friends and got into position for the routine. They started and Emily and Jessica do well, but Steve and Marcy were a hot mess. They were all over the place and neither of them seemed to have a clue about what they were doing. It throws Emily off a bit but she manages to recover and finish the routine.

"Thank you everyone," Ms. Pantone said addressing the group. "We only need six people to fill our squad this year. Our routines are created for twelve people so this year we are going to do something a little different. We are also going to select two alternates who will be required to attend practices and wear their uniforms on days we will be cheering. This does not necessarily mean they will be cheering. We have found in the past that when one of our members is missing, it throws off our whole routine. The alternates will cheer if someone is ill or absent from school that day for some other reason. The list of those who made the squad, and the alternates, will be posted on the bulletin board outside the girl's locker room tomorrow after lunch. First practice will be Wednesday after school. That's it. You can all go now."

The girls all got up and walked off in different directions. Jessica and Emily ran toward the bleachers, while Stacie and Aubrey just casually walked. Donald rushed to catch up with Stacie.

"So," Donald said as he walked beside Stacie. "How do you think we did?"

"Honestly," Stacie said. "I think you, me, Aubrey, and Jessica will make the squad for sure. Emily will probably be an alternate."

"I agree and I also think Ebony and Amanda made it," Aubrey said. "I have a feeling that if Donald made the squad they will be creating routines around the fact that he is a guy. That's what I'd do if I was Captain. If they're smart then they'll pick David as an alternate so he can sub for you if needed."

"This is exciting," Donald said as they arrived at the bleachers. "I'll see you guys later. I promised Steve I'd give him a ride home." Donald hurries off towards the boy's locker room.

"You girls were rocking it out there," Beca said.

"Thanks, Beca," Stacie said giving her a wink.

Aubrey frowned and looked at Beca and then back at Stacie.

"We're going to go," Jessica said. "We'll see you all tomorrow." She gave a wave as she and Ashley walked off hand in hand.

"I have to go, too," CR said.

"Yeah, me too," Jesse said. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

Jesse and CR walk off toward the parking lot together. Beca looks at Aubrey.

"Are you ready to go, Aubrey?," Beca asked.

"Yeah," Aubrey said.

"Hey, Beca?," Fat Amy said.

"Yes, Amy," Beca said.

"Can you give Stacie and Emily a ride?," Amy asked. "I just got a date and it's in the opposite direction. If I take them home I'll be late."

"Um, yeah, no problem," Beca said and turns to the two girls. "You girls ready?"

"Thanks, Beca," Amy said as she headed away from the group. "You're the best."

Beca was driving and Aubrey was in the front passenger seat. Emily and Stacie were discussing the tryouts. Emily was putting herself down for messing up.

"Emily," Aubrey said turning so she can see the girl in the backseat. "You did really well. Yeah, you messed up, but that wasn't really your fault. And you recovered and finished strong."

"She's right, Em," Stacie told her. "You might not be on the squad this year, but you will definitely be an alternate. You'll have an in to being on the squad next year."

"You think so?," Emily said hopefully.

"Definitely," Aubrey said.

The car was quiet and Beca looked over at Aubrey. She looked back to the road.

"Did you ever text, Chloe?," Aubrey asked Beca.

"Um, yeah, I did," Beca said. "We, um, kind of have a date tomorrow."

"Seriously?," Aubrey said followed by a squeal. "That's so great. I'm very happy for you."

"Nice going, Beca," Stacie said. "Chloe's a hottie and really sweet. So, who asked who?"

"She kind of asked me," Beca said. "Well, she asked me if I wanted to hang out with her. And I asked if she meant hang out like a date and she said if I wanted it to be. And I definitely want it to be."

"I like Chloe," Emily said. "She's really sweet."

"I guess I'll have to give you the best friend speech," Aubrey said with a sly grin. "And, I'll have to give Chloe the whole don't hurt my sister speech."

Beca smiled and looked over at Aubrey. Aubrey looked back at her and Beca gave a little nod towards Stacie and raised her eyebrow in question. Aubrey just shook her head and looked out the window.

"So, what's up with you and Donald?," Emily asked Stacie causing Aubrey to sit up straight and really listen.

"Nothing's up," Stacie replied.

"Really?," Beca asked. "You two seem really friendly. Maybe a little too friendly."

"We got paired together for a biology project," Stacie reminded them. "That's it. He's really nice but there's nothing going on between us."

"I think he might want there to be something going on," Emily said. "He follows you around and he kissed you on the cheek at lunch earlier. Plus, he's kinda cute. You could do worse."

"Better watch out, Stacie," Beca said with a teasing grin. "You might want to snatch Donald up because it sounds like Emily might want to take a run at him."

"What? No," Emily stammered and blushed. "Stacie, he's all yours. I just meant there's no reason why you shouldn't date him or whatever. He seems like a great guy."

"I really don't think we have to worry about me and Donald dating," Stacie said. "I'm not his type."

"What?," Aubrey screeched and looked over her shoulder at Stacie. "How could you not be his type? You're smart, you're talented, you're really gorgeous." Aubrey's mouth snapped shut when she realized what she had just said. She turned to face front. "Oh, God. I'm just going to shut up now."

Beca glanced over at Aubrey with a big smile on her face. Emily was staring at Aubrey and smiling. Stacie had a pleased look on her face as she stared at the back of Aubrey's head.

"Thank you, Aubrey," Stacie said smiling. "I think you're really smart and gorgeous, too."

Aubrey could feel the heat radiating off of her flushed cheeks. Beca stole another glance and let out a small laugh when she saw Aubrey's reaction to what Stacie said.

"I agree," Emily said. "You're both smart, talented, and gorgeous. Which is why I don't understand how you could possibly think that you are not Donald's type."

"Emily," Stacie said looking at the girl. "Donald's gay."


	7. Chapter 7

" _Emily," Stacie said looking at the girl. "Donald's gay."_

The car was silent after Stacie dropped this bombshell on them.

"I've gone to school with him since like 8th grade," Beca said. "I never knew he was gay."

"He's not really out to too many people," Stacie said. "You guys have to swear you won't say anything. I shouldn't have told you. He did say he was tired of living a lie and is going to start telling people once he comes out to his family."

"We won't say anything," Aubrey said. "I know what it's like hiding who you really are. I'm just lucky that my mom is so understanding. And, Ben, Beca's dad, accepts me for who I am. My own dad didn't do that."

"Yeah," Beca said. "Both my parents were really cool about it when I came out. My mom and dad actually divorced because my mom realized she was gay and fell in love with a woman. I won't say anything."

Stacie looked at Emily. "I won't say anything either," Emily assured her. "It's not my place."

"Thank you," Stacie said. "Oh, Beca, my house is coming up. It's the blue one on the right."

Beca pulled in front of the house and Stacie got out. She leaned back in and thanked Beca for the ride and said she'd see everyone the next day. She closed the door and walked away. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Aubrey watching her. She shot her a wink and saw Aubrey smile back at her.

"You need to ask that girl out," Beca said, causing Aubrey to snap her head around.

"You like Stacie?," Emily asked from the back seat.

"Can we not talk about this, please?," Aubrey asked.

"Sorry," Emily said and went quiet.

"Come on, Aubrey," Beca said. "You like Stacie, and from what I've seen I think she likes you, too. Just ask her out. What's the worst that could happen? She says no? She won't, but if she does at least you'll know and can find someone who's right for you."

"Beca's right," Emily said.

Beca pulled up in front of Emily's house. "Thanks for the ride, Beca," she said as she gathered her stuff and got out of the car. "I'll see you girls tomorrow."

Beca waited until Emily was in the house before she pulled away. The rest of the ride home was quiet.

The Mitchell-Posen house was quiet as they sat down for dinner. Aubrey was pushing her food around her plate.

"Aubrey," Carol said getting the girl to look at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, mom," Aubrey said, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine."

"I have a date with Chloe tomorrow after school," Beca said taking the focus off of Aubrey. "I probably won't be home until after dinner."

"You do?," Carol asked excitedly. "That's wonderful, Beca. I think you two make a really cute couple."

"Chloe? Aubrey's best friend, Chloe?," Ben asked.

"Yep," Beca saaid with a smile. "Don't worry dad, you don't have to go all protective parent on her. Aubrey has already said she'll give Chloe the 'don't hurt my sister or else' speech."

"You heard that wrong," Aubrey said with a sly grin. "I said I would tell Chloe not to hurt my STEP-sister because that was my job."

"You know you love me," Beca said with a smirk.

"About as much as I love toe fungus," Aubrey shot back causing Beca to laugh.

Ben and Carol looked at each other and smiled. Glad to see that their two girls were getting along.

Later that evening, the two girls were in their rooms doing their homework. Aubrey was trying to work on her assignment for Music class but was hitting a brick wall. She decided to ask Beca for help and found herself standing in front of Beca's bedroom door. She knocked lightly and heard Beca say "come in." She opened the door and saw Beca sitting on her bed with her laptop in front of it.

"What's up?," Beca asked.

"I wanted to thank you for changing the subject at dinner," Aubrey said. "My mom would have just kept after me until I broke."

"It's what stepsisters do," Beca said with a shrug.

"No," Aubrey said. "It's what a sister would do."

Beca smiled and nudged Aubrey's shoulder with her own. Aubrey let out a sigh and leaned back against the wall.

"I was also wondering if you could help me with our Music assignment," Aubrey said.

"Oh, that's how it is," Beca said with a smile. "Butter me up by calling me your sister and then get me to do your homework."

Aubrey just looked at her with puppy dog eyes and a pout.

"Fine," Beca said. "I'll help you."

"Oh, my God," Aubrey said with a laugh. "I'll have to thank Chloe for teaching me the puppy dog eyes and pout thing. It really works. You are in such deep trouble. Chloe is the master of the puppy dog eyes and pout to get what she wants."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

The next day finds Aubrey nervous and anxious about who made the cheerleading squad. She barely makes it through her morning classes without throwing up. She looks a little pale when she meets up with everyone at lunch.

"I'm so nervous," Jessica says when Aubrey sits down. "I haven't been able to concentrate all morning."

"Don't worry," Stacie says confidently. "I'm sure we made it."

"You okay, Aubrey?," Beca asks noticing her pale look.

"Yeah," Aubrey says. "I'm with Jessica, though. I feel like I'm going to throw up I'm so nervous."

"Hey," Jesse says. "Why don't we all go with you to check the list? Strength in numbers, all for one and one for all."

"Dude, are you using movie quotes to make them feel better?," Beca asks. "Stop it."

"I think it's a great idea," Emily says.

The friends, even Beca, agree to check out the list before heading to their next class. Donald comes over and starts talking to Stacie about their assignment. Beca responds to a text from Chloe and is smiling. CR gives her a hard time.

"What's going on?," Jesse asks seeing the interaction between CR and Beca.

"Beca's got her date with Chloe today," CR said. "She hasn't stopped texting since she got here."

"I can't help it," Beca said. "She's trash talking about how Crestfield is going to beat Barden at our Homecoming game. We're going to make a bet but she hasn't told me what we're betting yet."

"I know," Denise says. "Why don't you bet her that if," CR glares at her. "Sorry, _when_ Barden wins she has to wear Barden's colors to school on the Monday after the game."

"You might want to consider something else," Aubrey said quickly. "She is a die-hard Crestfield sports fan. To have to wear Barden's colors in Crestfield would not bode well for either of you."

"Thanks," Beca said. "I certainly don't want her to be mad at me. What if I said she has to go to our Homecoming Dance with me and wear Barden green?"

"That would be better," Aubrey said. "You get a hot date for Homecoming and she can wear the green without having to deal with the entire Crestfield student body hating on her."

"We should go check the list," Jesse cut in. "We don't want to be late for class."

"I'll talk about the bet with Chloe on our date," Beca said as everyone gathered their stuff.

When the group gets close to the girl's locker room, Beca rushes to the list and covers it with her hand.

"Before you look," Beca said as the group catches up with her. "We are all your friends and we don't care if you're cheerleaders or not. This will change nothing. If you didn't make it, we are here for you."

"Thanks, Beca," Stacie said. "Now move."

Beca is shoved aside as the girls check the list. There are suddenly squeals all around as Aubrey, Stacie, Jessica, and Donald made first squad. Emily squeals when she finds her name under the alternates.

"I was sure I didn't make the cut at all," Emily says excitedly.

"We should go out and celebrate," Stacie says. "Let's do it after school today. Practice starts tomorrow."

"I can't," Jesse said. "I have to babysit my little sister."

"Denise and I have both have to work," CR said.

"We already have other plans," Jessica and Ashley say.

"My mom wants me home right after school," Emily says.

"Looks like it's just you and me," Stacie says to Aubrey.

"Why don't we have a celebration party at our house on Saturday?," Beca suggests. "And, before you ask, Jesse. Yes, you're invited too."

"Yes," Jesse says and throws a fist in the air.

"That would be fun," Aubrey said. "Let's do it."

Everyone agreed and headed towards their classes.

"Hey, Aubrey," Beca said causing the two to stop and look back at her. "Why don't you two join me and Chloe after school? I'm sure Chloe will want to hear all about it."

"I don't want to intrude on your date," Aubrey said looking nervous.

"Maybe we could make it a double date," Stacie said looking hopefully at the blonde.

"A dou-double date?," Aubrey asked. "Like, with me and you?"

"Yeah," Stacie said and smiled. "I've been wanting to ask you out. So, Aubrey, would you like to go out with me? On a date. Today. After school."

"Yes, I would like that," Aubrey said with a smile. "I'd like that very much."

"Yesssss!," Beca said causing the girls to look at her. "I'm leaving right after Music class. See you later."

With that Beca hurries to get to her next class. Stacie and Aubrey smile at each other and walk off to class together.

The rest of the day goes by too slow for Beca. She is hyped up when she finally gets to Music class. She sits and is constantly watching the clock until class is done and she can go meet Chloe. When the bell finally rings and Mrs. Abernathy dismisses them, Beca is up out of her seat like a shot.

"Come on, Aubrey," Beca yells over her shoulder. "You and Stacie need to pick up the pace. I don't want to be late."

Aubrey and Stacie both laughed and hurried to catch up to Beca. They all stopped at their lockers and headed out to Beca's car.

"We're here," Beca said as she pulled into the diner's parking lot. "When we go home I am not playing chauffeur so one of you will be occupying the passenger seat."

Beca jumped out the car and hurried into the diner. She looked around and saw Chloe already sitting there. She made her way to Chloe and sat next to her.

"I have a surprise for you," Beca told her. "I hope you don't mind."

"Our first date and you're already bringing me surprises," Chloe said giving Beca a hug. "I may just have to keep you around." Chloe looked up when she heard the door open. "Seriously? Who asked who?"

"Stacie kind of asked," Beca said getting out of her seat as Chloe was pushing her to move.

"Brey!," Chloe said and gave the blonde a hug. She pulls back and looks at Stacie. "So, what's going on here?"

"Um, Stacie asked me out," Aubrey said. "To celebrate us making the cheer squad. And Beca invited us to join you guys. For a double date."

"Congratulations, you two," Chloe said and hugged both girls.

"Is that for the date?," Stacie said with a smile. "Or being on cheer squad?"

"Both," Chloe said with a laugh. "Come on. Let's sit down."

They all sit and a short, older blonde woman comes out from the back.

"What the hell are you doing here?," the woman asked.

All four heads turned to see who the woman was talking to. Beca just rolled her eyes.

"You serve food. I have money for food," Beca said. "Figure it out, Einstein."

"Beca!," Chloe whisper yells. "Don't be rude."

"Yeah, you little shit," the blonde said. "Listen to the lady."

Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie's mouths all fall open in shock.

"I think that's a little harsh, ma'am," Aubrey said.

"Alex," the blonde says.

"I'm sorry?," Aubrey asked confused.

"The name is Alex, not ma'am," Alex said. "I own the joint. Now what can I get you ladies."

"Um, may we see a menu, please?," Stacie asked.

"Hmm, polite and pretty," Alex said. "You, I like." She looks at Beca, "You, not so much."

Alex went to the end of the counter. A brunette woman walked in and she and Alex exchanged a few words. Alex handed the woman some menus and went to the back. The brunette smiled and walked over to the four girls.

"Hello, Chloe," the woman said.

"Hi, Miss Reardon," Chloe said.

"You know her?," Beca asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "She teaches AP History at Crestfield. I'm in her class this year."

"Aubrey Posen," Miss Reardon said looking at the blonde. "I see you two are still as thick as thieves. Nice to see you. How are you liking Barden?"

"It's nice to see you, too, Miss Reardon," Aubrey said. "Barden is good. I really like it."

"We're not in school so please call me Mel or Melissa," Miss Reardon says and then looks at Stacie. "And who is this lovely lady?"

"This is Stacie Conrad," Aubrey said. "My date. Oh, and this is Beca Mitchell. My stepsister and Chloe's date. We all go to Barden together. We're celebrating Stacie and me making the Barden cheer squad."

"That's great news, Aubrey," Miss Reardon said. "Congratulations."

"Could you maybe leave the menus and go somewhere else?," Beca asked.

"Beca!," Chloe said eyes widening.

Melissa just smiles and hands the girls the menus she's been holding. Alex comes back over to the table and puts her arm around Melissa's waist and kisses her on the side of her head.

"Hey, babe," Melissa said. "Let me introduce you. This is Chloe Beale, one of my students. This is Aubrey Posen. She was at Crestfield last year. The young lady next to her is Stacie Conrad. This is my fiance, Alex Matthews."

"Miss Reardon, you forgot Beca," Chloe said.

"Oh, honey, I was in labor for eighteen hours with that one," Melissa said laughing. "I could never forget her. Give your mom a hug you little shit. I miss you."

"Mom," Beca said blushing as she stood and gave her mother a hug. "I miss you, too."

Beca pulls out of the hug only to be dragged into another by Alex. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

"Everything's good," Beca said. She pulls out of the hug and stands between Alex and Melissa.

"Miss Reardon is your mother?," Chloe asks. "Wow. You look like her. I didn't really see it until you were standing next to each other."

"Yeah," Beca said. "We get that a lot."

Beca sits back down next to Chloe and smiles at her. Chloe smiles back and puts her arm around Beca's shoulders.

"So, you guys are on a date, huh?," Melissa asks and Beca nods. "Take care of her." Beca smiles smugly. "Chloe's one of my best students."

"Hey!," Beca said. "Aren't you supposed to tell her to not hurt me or you'll do something dire?"

"Honey," Melissa said with a small laugh. "This is Chloe Beale. I know she'll treat you good. I expect you to do the same."

Chloe just beams at this. Aubrey and Stacie laugh at the look on Beca's face.

"Can we order, please?," Beca asked looking at Alex.

"What can I get you?," Alex asked.

The girls place their orders and Melissa goes to the back with Alex. Beca smiles at Aubrey and Stacie chatting in their own little world across from her. She looks at Chloe.

"You look nice," Beca said softly.

"So do you," Chloe said just as softly.

"Hey, Chlo," Aubrey said. "Before I forget, Beca and I are having a party on Saturday to celebrate me, Stacie, Jessica, Emily, and Donald making the cheer squad. You should come."

"I'd love to," Chloe said. She looks at Beca. "Wanna be my date?"

"Absolutely," Beca said. "Speaking of dates. I've come up with what I get when Barden beats Crestfield in our Homecoming game. You have to go to Barden's Homecoming Dance as my date AND wear Barden green."

"You'd better take this bet, Chlo," Aubrey said. "She was going to make you wear Barden green to school if Crestfield loses."

"I would never," Chloe said sounding indignant.

"I know," Beca said with a laugh. "That's why I suggested this instead."

Chloe thinks about it for a minute. "Considering that I would expect an invite to be your date for your Homecoming dance, and I look really good in green, I accept your part of the bet," she finally says causing Beca to frown a bit. "Now, for you, when-"

"If," Beca throws in with a smirk causing Aubrey and Stacie to laugh.

"WHEN," Chloe says glaring at Beca,"Crestfield wins, you, my dear Beca, will have to throw a party and only play songs from the 80s made famous by women."

"Nice one," Aubrey said. She let out a loud laugh when she sees Beca's stunned disgusted look. "Oh, my God, you may as well just kill her now."

"What's wrong with that?," Stacie asked perplexed by Aubrey's comment. "There are a lot of pretty decent songs that came from the 80s."

"Not according to Beca," Aubrey said. "She thinks that 80s music, especially most of the songs by women, should be banned from life forever."

"Well?," Chloe asks looking at Beca. "Is it a bet? Or are you afraid Barden is going to lose and are chickening out?"

"Oooooo," Aubrey and Stacie both say and laugh.

Beca gives the two girls a glare and then turns to look at Chloe. She smiles and quickly gives Chloe a kiss.

"It's a bet," Beca said.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating, but Zap got busy and wasn't able to do any writing. Life is like that. Thanks for your patience.**

* * *

The terms of the bet are settled and the four girls fall into small talk. Chloe and Aubrey are doing most of the talking as Chloe fills Aubrey in on what's been happening at Crestfield that week. Beca can't help but smile at how enraptured Stacie was watching Aubrey light up as she talked to her best friend. The other three were so engrossed in the conversation that Beca was the only one who noticed a grumpy looking brunette about their age bring their food out.

"Hey, Beca," the waitress said as she set the tray containing their plates on a temporary stand. "Aunt Alex said this was for your table."

"Thanks, April," Beca said. She helped pass the plates around getting the attention of the other three girls at the table.

"April, right?," Chloe said recognizing the girl from school. "I didn't know you worked here."

"It's not like we've said more than twenty words to each other in the last few years," April stated matter of factly.

"Well, something tells me we'll be coming here more often, so I suspect that will change," Chloe said in her usual upbeat tone. "So, you're kind of like what, Beca's step cousin? Or will be at least? How cool is that?"

"I suppose Beca's not so bad. Her music's pretty good," April conceded. "Though nothing's as good as my boyfriend's band."

"They need to come up with a better name than _Scarecrow Boat,_ " Beca pointed out.

"I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time," April said. "They're constantly coming up with other names." When the last of the food was distributed, she added, "If you need anything else, Beca can get it."

"Thank you, April," Chloe said cheerily. The brunette simply put up her arm in a half-hearted wave as she walked away from the table.

"She's...interesting," Stacie said, turning her attention to the food in front of her.

"That's just the way she is," Beca shrugged as they all began to eat. From that point, the conversation was mostly idle as they ate. Alex came out when they were just about finished to see how everyone was doing and if they wanted anything else.

"It was delicious. Thank you very much," Chloe said, pushing her plate away from her. "I should really get going. I've got homework to do. Could we get the check please?" Chloe was taken by surprise when Alex started laughing. "What'd I miss?"

"Beca eats for free," Alex stated as her laughter died down. "Especially since it's been awhile since she's brought a girl around to meet her mothers."

"Awww, that makes me feel special," Chloe beamed and Beca blushed.

"You are certainly better than the last few girls Beca's dated by far," Melissa adds as she walked up to the table carrying four styrofoam containers, handing one to each girl. "Figured I'd send you home with a piece of pecan pie. It's Beca's favorite."

"That's really sweet, thank you Mi..Melissa," Aubrey added as the four of them stood up. Alex and Melissa once again hugged Beca.

"You behave, young lady," Melissa said as they pulled apart. "I'll be in touch soon so we can figure out what you're wearing to the wedding. And Chloe, I'll make sure she lets you know so you can coordinate."

"Thank you, Miss Reardon. Have a nice night and I'll see you in school tomorrow," Chloe said, taking Beca's hand as the group started towards the parking lot. Once they were outside, Chloe looked at Beca. "I had a nice time. I had no idea how close to each other we've lived this whole time."

"I had a nice time, too," Beca said. "We could have met a lot sooner but during the divorce we all agreed I should stay with Dad since I have so many friends at Barden. I could have just as easily moved to Crestfield with Mom when she and Alex moved in together."

"Of course my father had to accept an assignment in Europe after my parents divorced," Aubrey said bitterly.

"But then you wouldn't have met Stacie," Chloe pointed out, ever one to find the silver lining. As they reached their cars, conveniently parked next to each other as it turned out, Chloe let go of Beca's hand to hug first Stacie, then Aubrey. "I love you and miss you so much, Blondie."

"I love you too, Red," Aubrey said returning the hug. "I'm always just a call away."

"I know," Chloe smiled, pulling away and turning to Beca. "Thank you for everything."

"My pleasure, believe me," Beca said, leaning in and kissing Chloe. "We'll definitely have to do this again. Oh, I was going to ask if you wanted me to come get you for the party on Saturday."

"That's sweet," Chloe said. "But, I think I'll drive myself so you won't have to leave the party to take me home."

"Some of the girls are staying over and you're welcome to do the same," Beca said. "You know, if you want."

"I want," Chloe said and leaned in to kiss Beca. This time the kiss lasted a bit longer and they didn't break apart until Aubrey cleared her throat.

"Alright you, two," Aubrey said. "You'll be seeing each other soon."

Chloe giggled as she got into her car after another quick kiss from Beca. The DJ turned to Aubrey and Stacie who were holding hands as they watched the scene, and said, "Ok fine, you can both sit in the back seat. Just remember, I can see everything in the rearview mirror. Everything."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Later that night, Beca was sitting on her bed doing some research on her laptop when she heard a knock on her door, followed by Aubrey meekly asking if she could come in. Beca glanced up at the door. "It's open."

"I really don't know what to do for this project for music class," Aubrey said, sitting down at Beca's desk. "I have no clue about that kind of music."

"I actually have an idea for you," Beca said, typing at her computer. When she found what she was looking for, she turned it towards Aubrey. " _Meet the Beatles_ was one of the first Beatles albums released in the United States. It came out about three weeks before their appearance on the _Ed Sullivan Show_. Now, probably the most well known song from the album is _I Wanna Hold Your Hand,_ but for you, I'd recommend _I Saw Her Standing There_. It fits you and Stacie a little I think." Beca pulled up Google Play and started the song. "I rather like it myself."

"I know this!," Aubrey called out as she listened to the song. "Tiffany did a version of this but called it _I Saw Him Standing There._ "

"I don't know about you sometimes, Posen," Beca shook her head. "You know little of the Beatles, but you know an obscure song by someone who toured malls."

"Music is like sexuality, we like what we like," Aubrey responded with a shrug.

"I can see a lot of truth to that," Beca admitted as she thought it over.

"This was a great help though, I really appreciate it," Aubrey said, nodding to the computer. "I can work with this. Thank you, Beca."

"You're welcome, Aubrey," Beca smiled.

"So, you and Chloe look really good together," Aubrey asked. "It's easy to see you really like her."

"Yeah," Beca said. "I mean, what's not to like. She's gorgeous, she's the nicest person I've ever met, and I could listen to her talk all day and never get tired of it."

"Wow," Aubrey said. "You've already got it bad."

"Yeah," Beca said and sighed. "I do."

"Well, if it's any consolation," Aubrey said. "She's got it pretty bad for you, too. You may not have been my first pick to be with my best friend, but now I couldn't think of anyone better for her."

"Thanks, Aubrey," Beca said. "That means a lot to me."

"I should probably go work on my song," Aubrey said. "Thanks for the help."

"Any time," Beca said.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Wednesday was essentially inconsequential. The biggest highlight was that Gail approved everybody's album picks and informed them that they had the rest of the week and all of the following one to work on their reports. She set the due date for the Monday after next, which is when they'd start their performances as well. Beca wasn't overly surprised that Jesse picked _The Who's "Tommy";_ she had a feeling he'd be singing " _Pinball Wizard"_. What surprised her was Stacie picking " _Led Zeppelin II"_. She had a couple guesses as to what she'd sing, but when she asked the taller brunette about it she brushed it off, saying they'd find out when it was her turn to perform.

Beca woke early on Thursday morning to her phone pinging with a new message. She grumbled and fumbled for the phone on her night stand. She finds it and half opens one eye to look at the message screen. She smiles and wakes up fully when she sees it's a good morning text from Chloe. She texts her back and they go back and forth for few minutes discussing the party on Saturday. Beca was a little surprised when Chloe texted her asking if they, meaning the family, were doing anything for Aubrey's birthday. She texted back.

Beca: _When is it?_

Chloe: _Two weeks from Saturday. It's her 18th_

Beca: _I didn't know. I'll ask Carol and one of us will let you know_.

Chloe: _K. I gotta go. Can't wait to see you on Saturday. ;o)_

Beca: _Same. Call me later?_

Chloe: _Totes. Have a great day. :o)_

Beca: _You too_

Beca put her phone down, smiling. She really does like Chloe a lot. She feels pretty good about them as a couple and is thinking about asking Chloe to be her exclusive girlfriend at the party.

Beca gets out of bed and jumps in the shower, surprised that she's up and about before Aubrey. Once she's done and dressed she heads downstairs to find her dad and Carol sitting at the breakfast counter.

"Morning dad, Carol," Beca said.

"You look like my daughter," Ben Mitchell said. "And you sound like my daughter, but _my_ daughter is never up early on a school day."

"Chris Rock everybody," Beca said with a smirk. "Chloe woke me up by texting me this morning."

"There's my daughter," Ben said with a laugh. "You would only wake up early for a girl."

"Not just any girl," Carol said. "The one and only Chloe Beale. She's special that's for sure."

"Yeah, she is," Beca said with a big smile. "Anyway, she mentioned Aubrey's birthday. She asked if we had anything planned. I didn't even know it was coming up."

"Don't remind me," Carol said. "Her father was supposed to surprise her with a weekend trip for just the two of them to celebrate and he flaked out again. Now he wants me to come up with some special gift he can give her to make up for it."

"Make him buy her a car," Beca said, with a shrug of her shoulders like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"A car?," Carol asked. "Hmmm."

"Yeah," Beca said. "I mean I don't mind driving her to school and stuff, but she's got cheerleading now, and plus with her dating Stacie she'll need her own car for dates and stuff. She could use mine, but I'm dating Chloe now and I'll probably be using it when she wants to use it. Just a suggestion."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Ben said. "If he doesn't buy her one, we will."

"You'd do that?," Carol asked, somewhat surprised.

"Absolutely," Ben said. "Beca got her car for her sixteenth."

"I agree with dad," Beca said. "Shocker I know, but I think she'd love getting a car for her birthday. She can use it to drive to Barden next year, too."

"You don't have to sell me," Carol said with a small laugh. "I agree with you. I'll call her father today and tell him he's buying her a new car for her birthday."

The discussion quickly ends when Aubrey comes into the kitchen. She gets a bowl and some cereal. She looks around at everyone just sitting there not saying anything.

"What?," Aubrey asked as she sits down at the counter. "Why are you all looking at me like that and not saying anything?"

"We were just wondering what you wanted to do for your birthday," Carol said. "It's your eighteenth. Kind of a special one."

"Whatever we do," Aubrey said. "We have to include Chloe. And Stacie."

"Why don't we have a party here at the house?," Beca suggested. "I can do the music. We can invite some of your friends from Crestfield and from Barden."

"I like that idea," Aubrey said. "Can we do that?" She looked at Carol and Ben.

"I think it's a great idea," Ben said.

"So do I," Carol said. "Thank you, Beca. That's a wonderful idea."

"Cool," Beca said. "We can let our Barden friends know today and you can get Chloe to invite your friends from Crestfield."

Aubrey and Beca head off to school. The day goes by like any other. Their friends are all excited about being invited to Aubrey's birthday party. That night Aubrey sits down with Carol and discusses what kind of food to have so Carol can contact a caterer. The party is going to be in two weeks and they have a lot to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Monday morning had Beca waking up with a smile, still on the high from the weekend. They had their party as planned. Nothing major, just the usual group hanging out and having fun. The biggest highlight was that Beca had in fact asked Chloe to be her girlfriend, and the redhead had said yes. She was still giddy about it. She and Chloe were official. Chloe was her girlfriend. Beca read Chloe's good morning text and texted her back asking if she wanted to meet at the diner the next afternoon after school since Tuesdays were the only days that Chloe didn't have cheer practice. After getting Chloe's positive reply she got up and went to take a shower.

When she came down for breakfast, everyone else was already at the table.

"Good morning, everyone," Beca said cheerfully.

"Someone's in a good mood," Aubrey said with a chuckle. "I wonder why?"

"Shut it, Posen," Beca said. "Not even you can ruin my exceedingly good mood."

"What's going on?," Carol asked looking at the two girls.

"Chloe and I are official," Beca said. "She agreed to be my girlfriend."

"Congratulations," Ben said. "She's a very lovely young lady. You done good, kiddo."

"Thanks, dad," Beca said.

They finish breakfast and Beca is driving Aubrey to school.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Beca said. "I was working on a set list to play at your party and wanted to know if there were any songs or artists in particular you wanted to hear."

"Ooo, I can't wait," Aubrey said. "I'll put together a list and get it to you later tonight. Is that okay?"

"Perfect," Beca said as she pulled into the school's parking lot. "Will you and Stacie need a ride after practice today?"

"No, thanks," Aubrey said. "Stacie's mom is going to pick us up."

"Cool," Beca said. "You know I have a date with Chloe tomorrow so you'll have to find your own way home."

"God, I hope I get a car for my birthday," Aubrey said wistfully. "It's kind of hard to plan dates around everyone else's schedule so I can use their car."

"I don't mind if you use mine," Beca said. "Do you want to use it to take Stacie to the Homecoming Dance? I'll just ask Chloe to drive us."

"You'd do that?," Aubrey asked.

"Sure," Beca said. "I would say you guys could double with us, but I have plans after that really don't involve my step-sister and her girlfriend."

"Ew," Aubrey said. "I don't need to know about your sexploits with my best friend."

Beca just laughed. "As if you weren't planning something with Stacie."

"I will neither confirm nor deny that," Aubrey said, blushing slightly.

"Just don't do it in my car," Beca said and jumped out of the car barely avoiding the slap Aubrey threw at her. She was still laughing as they walked into the school.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

The morning went by quickly and it was already lunch time. Beca sat at their usual table with all her friends discussing the Homecoming Dance. The expected couples were all going, Aubrey and Stacie, CR and Denise, Ashley and Jessica, and, of course, Beca and Chloe. Three 'new' couples that were going together was totally unexpected. It seems Benji grew a pair and asked Emily to the dance, which she happily agreed to. Well, maybe that one was a little bit expected but it was nice to see the two admit their feelings for each other. Donald had come out to his family and had asked Steve to be his date for the dance. Donald had become a part of their lunch group and, now by association, so has Steve. The one couple that had Beca and Aubrey flipping out was Amy and Bumper Allan.

"Have you lost your mind, Amy?," Beca practically yelled at the blond Aussie. "That guy is a homophobic douchebag. Look around the table and tell me putting him with us is not a disaster waiting to happen."

"He's a good guy," Amy said.

"Good guys don't go out of their way to insult or harass people because of their sexual orientation," Aubrey said.

"I hope he asked you because he really likes you," Stacie said, "and not so he can do something to us. He has been very vocal about his dislike for most of us because we're gay."

"He's not like that all the time," Amy said and angrily stomped away from the group.

The rest of the lunch hour passed by and they all went to their respective classes. Amy went out of her way to avoid them. Beca finally got Amy to talk to her during music class and apologized, telling her that they were all friends and just didn't want to see her get hurt. Amy came back to the group but Bumper was keeping his distance.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

On Tuesday, Beca is constantly checking the time until the school day ends. She can't wait to see her girlfriend. "God, I love the way that sounds," Beca mumbles to herself. The final bells rings and Gail dismisses them with a reminder that they should be working on their album reports. Beca doesn't even say goodbye to any of her friends as she rushes out of class.

"Tell Chloe we said hi," Aubrey yelled at Beca as she exits. "That girl has it bad," she said with a laugh.

Beca is getting out of her car at the diner when she hears a horn beep. She looks up and sees Chloe pulling into the lot. She hurries over to where Chloe is parking and opens the car door for her.

"Such chivalry," Chloe said, getting out of the car. Beca slams the door and pushes Chloe up against the car. She kisses her and Chloe kisses her back.

"Mmmm," Chloe said pulling out of the kiss. "Did you miss me or something?"

"Or something," Beca said with a grin. "Come on, I'm hungry."

Beca grabs Chloe's hand and they head into the diner. Beca holds the door open for Chloe so Chloe can enter first.

"Hey, Chloe," Alex said seeing her enter. "Oh, and you have Beca with you."

"You love me," Beca said and gives Alex a quick hug.

"No," Alex said letting Beca go. "I love your mother. I just tolerate you."

"Table for two please," Beca said, ignoring Alex's teasing.

"Would you like a booth?," Alex asked. "Or a booth."

"I think we'd like a booth," Beca said.

"I don't know, Becs," Chloe said with a mischievous grin. "I think I'd like a booth."

"Smartass," Beca said with a smile.

Alex laughs at the two and shows them to an empty booth. "Do you need menus?"

"I don't," Beca said. "But, Chloe might."

Alex gives Chloe a menu and turns to Beca. "Your mom should be here in a bit. So, stay put until she gets here."

"Yes, ma'am," Beca said. Alex walked away and Beca turned to Chloe. "So, I was thinking that you should plan to spend the night at my house after the dance, since it will be late and all."

"Beca Mitchell," Chloe said. "Are you inviting me to spend the night at your house so you can seduce me?"

"Maybe," Beca said causing Chloe to grin. "Or maybe I just don't want my girlfriend driving home by herself late at night."

"That's so sweet," Chloe said and gave Beca a quick kiss. "Aubrey already asked me to spend the night."

"That's cool," Beca said. "Speaking of Aubrey, I told her she could use my car to drive Stacie to the dance. So, could you drive us? I know I asked you and should be the one to drive, but -"

"That's not a problem," Chloe cut her off. "I was wondering, since the game is at Barden, if I could come over after to get ready for the dance at your place, instead of going all the way back home. I'll just bring all my stuff with me to the game."

"Absolutely," Beca said. "I know Carol and my dad won't mind. They love you."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

"Oh, look," Melissa said as she entered the diner and spotted Beca and Chloe. "My favorite student and her girlfriend."

"Hi, mom," Beca said as she rolled her eyes. She stood and gave her mother a hug. "How's everything?"

"Pretty good," Melissa said. "It would be better if I got to talk to and see my daughter more."

"I'm sorry, mom," Beca said sincerely. "It's just between school and everything-"

"Everything would be me," Chloe said with a grin.

"I know," Melissa said and laughed. "It's okay. I'm glad she has you."

"Thank you, Melissa," Chloe said. "I appreciate that."

"Well, I hope you can make some time to talk about the wedding soon," Melissa said looking at Beca.

"We can talk some now if you want," Beca said. "You don't mind, do you, Chlo?"

"Not at all," Chloe said excitedly. "I love weddings."

"Of course you do," Beca said with a smile. Chloe smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "So, what did you have in mind, mom?"

"Let me get Alex," Melissa said and left to go to the back.

"Are you sure you don't mind us talking about the wedding now?," Beca asked looking at Chloe.

"I'm sure," Chloe said. "I love watching you and your mom together. You two have such a great relationship. It's nice. I also love the relationship you have with Alex. I have to say she is quite the character."

Beca leans in and kisses Chloe. She gets a little lost in kissing and doesn't pull back until she hears someone clearing their throat. She pulls back and notices that Melissa and Alex are sitting in the booth across from them. She blushes because she had been so into kissing Chloe she hadn't noticed they were there.

"Sorry," Beca said sheepishly.

"I'm not," Chloe said with a big grin.

Alex and Melissa laughed when they see Beca's cheek get even redder.

"Let's talk wedding, shall we?," Melissa said. "Alex, you want to fill us in on what you've planned so far?"

"Sure," Alex said.

They spend the better part of an hour talking about the wedding. Beca smiles the entire time watching her mom and Alex go back and forth talking about their plans. She would never say it out loud, but she is really excited about the wedding. She knows that Alex makes her mom happy and that makes her happy.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

"I really have to go," Chloe said after checking the time. "It was great seeing you again, Alex. I'll see you again soon. And I'll see you at school tomorrow, Miss Reardon."

"Have a good night, Chloe," Melissa said, smiling at the grinning redhead.

"It's always nice to see you, Chloe," Alex said.

"I'm going to head out, too," Beca said. "Plenty of homework to do."

"That and you want to make out with your girlfriend before she leaves," Melissa said with a smirk.

"I don't have a problem with that," Chloe said, her grin growing wider.

"Let's go," Beca said blushing. She gives her mom and Alex a hug. "I'll see you guys next week."

Beca walks Chloe to her car and before she can do anything Chloe has her pinned against the door. Chloe leans in and kisses Beca and Beca reciprocates. They continue kissing for a few minutes before Beca pulls back and leans her forehead against Chloe's.

"I don't know how I'm going to make it to Saturday," Beca said trying to catch her breath.

"Well," Chloe said and pulled back to look at Beca. "I'll be wearing my cheer outfit when I get to your house to change, so picturing that should help you make it."

Beca blinks once or twice, her mind numb from thinking about Chloe in her cheer outfit. "I hate you," Beca said.

"No, you don't," Chloe said with a smirk. "You love me."

"I do, I really do," Beca said earnestly.

"Wait," Chloe said standing straight and looking at Beca. "Really? You, you love me?"

"Yes, I really do," Beca said with a big smile. "I love you. Does that freak you out?"

Chloe gives her a big, toothy grin. "No, it doesn't, because I'm pretty sure I love you, too."

"Good," Beca said and pulled Chloe in for another kiss.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca has never been so glad to see Friday in her life. The days since she saw Chloe at the diner have dragged by. She walked into music class with Jesse and Emily. The three of them were quite happy as they were pretty much done writing their reports. Beca had been surprised to learn that Emily chose _Something Else by the Kinks_. The taller brunette explained that her father had suggested it, which made sense to Beca. As it turned out, Gail didn't have a specific lesson plan, she opted instead to let them use the period to work on their reports and ask questions if they had any. Soon enough, the day ended, and everyone headed off to their various activities, excited for the game and dance the next day.


	10. Chapter 10

Aubrey and Beca woke on Saturday morning both anxious and excited about the day ahead. Beca jumped into the shower first and was in her room getting dressed when Aubrey knocked on her door.

"Come in," Beca called out.

"Hey, Beca," Aubrey said as she walked in. She was wearing her cheer uniform. "Can I borrow one of your Barden High sweatshirts? I don't have any and it's a bit chilly today and I want to wear something over my cheer uniform."

"No," Beca said.

"What?," Aubrey said, surprised Beca told her no. "Why not?"

"You've got your own," Beca said. "Why do you need mine?"

"Beca, I just told you I don't have one," Aubrey said getting a bit peeved.

"Oh yeah?," Beca asked. "Then what's this?" Beca tosses something at Aubrey.

Aubrey catches it and looks at it. It's a Barden High hooded zip-up sweatshirt with _Posen_ on the back. "Beca?"

"Happy early birthday," Beca said with a grin. "All our friends have one and we're all wearing them today. It only seemed right that you should have one, too."

"Beca!," Aubrey squealed and hugged the younger girl. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Beca said. She picked up her sweatshirt from the bed and puts it on. She zipped it up and turned to show Aubrey the back. "See?"

"This is the best gift ever," Aubrey said and she put her sweatshirt on.

"Girls, breakfast is ready," Carol yells up from downstairs.

Aubrey goes out the door and yells back, "We'll be right down." She pokes her head back in the door. "Thanks again, Beca."

"No problem," Beca said. She put her shoes on and the two went down to breakfast.

"Nice shirt, Aubrey," Ben said.

"Beca just gave it to me as an early birthday present," Aubrey said. "Barden is going to kick butt today."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca was sitting with her friends in the bed of CR's pickup truck as they watched the Barden Homecoming parade (meaning, a bunch of cars with posters and the football team and cheerleaders walking behind them). The cars all pulled into the parking lot and everyone jumped out cheering for the Barden Raiders as the guys ran towards the locker room to suit up for the game. Beca and her friends stayed where they were until most of the students had made their way to the bleachers. Just as she was getting ready to jump out she heard a horn and looked up to see Chloe pulling into the parking lot.

Beca ran over to open Chloe's door and gave her a quick kiss when she was out.

"Wow," Beca said looking her up and down. "The picture you sent does not do you or that uniform justice."

"Hmm," Chloe said with a grin. "So, you have been thinking about me in my uniform."

Beca just stepped back from kissing Chloe when a bus came pulling into the lot. "That's my team," Chloe said. "Come on. I want to introduce you to the girls."

Beca let Chloe drag her over to the bus. Once the cheerleaders were all off the bus Chloe introduced them all to her and Beca said "hi" and gave them all a little wave.

"We gotta go, girls," Chloe said to her squad. "We need to warm up before kickoff."

Chloe gives Beca another quick kiss. "See you later, Becs."

Beca catches up with CR and the others as they try to find seats. They are all sitting and talking when the Barden cheer squad came over to warm up. Aubrey grabbed Stacie and ran over to Chloe. Beca watched as the three girls hugged and Aubrey hugged her Crestfield cheer friends. It was obvious she was introducing Stacie to all her friends.

"Wow, Aubrey" Chloe's Co-Captain, Jenny, said. "You and Chloe snagged the two hottest girls at Barden."

"Hey, Aubrey," a Crestfield football player came running up to her.

"Howie," Aubrey said.

"Don't start anything, Howie," Chloe said getting between the two.

"What's the matter, Chloe?," Howie asked with a smirk. "Afraid your girlfriend will leave you when she realizes I'm so much better?"

"She's not _**my**_ girlfriend," Chloe said.

"She's mine," Stacie said and got in Howie's face. "And if you say one word to her that I don't like, you won't be playing football for a long, long, loooonnnnnng time? Got it?"

"Whatever," Howie said and laughed. "After we kick your team's ass, I'll come find you and we can celebrate together. I've always wanted a threesome."

Stacie took a step toward him and Aubrey and Chloe both grabbed her to hold her back. Howie laughed and blew Stacie a kiss and trotted off to rejoin his team.

"What an asshole," Stacie muttered.

"Forget about him," Aubrey said. "We have to go. The game's about to start." She turns to Chloe and her squad. "I'll see you girls later."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Aubrey told Beca what happened with Howie and Beca got angry. She excused herself for a few minutes and came back smiling.

"What did you do?," CR asked when she saw the smile on Beca's face.

"Nothing," Beca said innocently. "Absolutely nothing."

The game started and it went back and forth. The score was 0-0 at the end of the half. The defense on both teams working hard to keep the other team from scoring. Beca got a chance to be with Chloe during the halftime show where the Homecoming Court was introduced and the marching band put on quite the performance.

"You're looking really hot out there, Captain," Beca said as she kissed Chloe.

"Mmm, thank you," Chloe said and shivered a bit. "I have to admit I thought we'd have some points on the board going into halftime."

"Getting nervous?," Beca asked. Chloe shivered again and Beca rubbed up and down her arms to try and warm her up.

"I'm not," Chloe said with a grin. "Are you?"

"Nope," Beca said. "Do you want my jacket? At least until the game starts back up?

"Please," Chloe said as she stood there shivering. "It's colder this afternoon than I thought it would be."

Beca took off her Barden sweatshirt and held it for Chloe to slip into.

"So, what's with this Howie guy?," Beca asked Chloe. "Aubrey told me what he said to her and Stacie."

"He's just a jerk who wanted to date Aubrey," Chloe said. "She turned him down and he's been saying stuff to her ever since. She went to the principal last year but he didn't do anything because it was football season and Howie is one of our best players."

"That sucks," Beca said and held Chloe in her arms. "Are you feeling warmer."

"Much," Chloe said and kissed Beca. They were involved in a light makeout session when Jenny called to Chloe.

"Come on, Chlo," Jenny said. "We have to get back behind our bench."

"I'll be right there," Chloe yelled to her. "I'm sorry but I do have to go." She took off Beca's jacket and handed it back to her.

"Hey," Beca said before Chloe could leave. "The game should be over about 5:00, do you want to get ready for the dance and swing by the diner? I know my mom and Alex would love to see us all dressed up. Plus we can grab a quick bite."

"I'd love that," Chloe said and kissed Beca once more. "I really have to go."

Neither teams' offense could do much during the third quarter, each side only managing to get a field goal leaving a 3-3 tie at the end the quarter. It was the fourth and final quarter and Crestfield's defense seemed to implode. They were missing tackles, misreading plays, and had allowed a Barden touchdown. They were down to 5 minutes on the clock and the score was Barden 10 Crestfield 3; Crestfield had the ball at their own 40 yard line. Tom and Chicago were covering the left side of the field where Howie, Crestfield's wide receiver, was positioned. They had seen this play a couple of times already and knew the pass was going to Howie.

The ball was snapped and Howie ran his pattern, going about 10 yards and cutting to the right. The ball was spiraling perfectly to him and the crowd stood expecting to see a catch and a touchdown. The ball was almost in his hands when suddenly it was gone. Tom had intercepted the pass and Howie grabbed at his arm. Chicago drilled Howie in a tremendous tackle. Chicago jumped up and watched Tom run the ball 68 yards down the field for a touchdown. The Barden crowd was going wild.

Chicago looked down at Howie still on the ground. He leaned down to make sure Howie could hear him and said, "Nobody talks trash about our Barden girls."

With that Chicago ran down the field and chest bumped Tom. They went running over to the sidelines, getting high fives from their teammates. Howie finally managed to get himself up and over to his team. He was a little dazed and ended up sitting out the rest of the game. Beca just sat in the stands with a big smile on her face. Everyone was surprised when they saw her give Bumper a fist bump.

When the game was over, Barden had beaten Crestfield 17-3. Chloe found Beca who was standing with a smug smile on her face. Chloe kissed her and said, "Shut up," causing Beca to just laugh.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca was in her room getting ready for the dance. She is going to surprise everyone by not wearing just slacks and a button down shirt. Chloe was in the guest room changing and Beca knew she would be wearing green per their bet, but she didn't know what the dress looked like. They'd both be pleasantly surprised.

Aubrey tapped on Beca's door and Beca told her to come in. Aubrey entered and her eyes widened.

"Wow, Beca," Aubrey said and smiled. "You look. . .stunning."

"Thanks," Beca said. "Do you think Chloe will like it?"

"She'll love it," Aubrey reassured her. "Mom sent me up to get you and Chloe. She and Ben want to get pictures of you two before you leave."

"Okay," Beca said. "I just need to put on my necklace and I'll be right there."

"I'm going to check on Chloe," Aubrey said. "We'll meet you downstairs."

Beca was ready and grabbed her bag and a warm jacket as she headed out to make her way downstairs. She heard both Carol and her dad gasp when they saw her. Both for different reasons she would soon learn.

"Beca," Carol said. "You look amazing. I've always thought you were a beautiful young lady, but now. Wow! You really rock the suit."

"Um, you, um," Ben said. "You forgot your shirt."

"No, she didn't," Carol said. "That's called fashion, dear."

"Thanks," Beca said shyly. "It's not too much is it?"

"It's just right," Carol said. Her father just nodded but didn't say anything more.

Just then they heard Chloe and Aubrey's voices as they made their way down the stairs. Chloe saw Beca and stumbled. She had to grab the railing and Aubrey's shoulder to keep from tumbling down the stairs. Aubrey had to laugh when she heard Chloe mumble "Holy shit!"

"Wow," Beca let out in a whisper when she spotted Chloe. She kept her eyes on Chloe the entire time it took her to walk down the stairs. Chloe's dress was gorgeous and only accentuated her beauty. The green did look good on her. It had thin straps over the shoulder and hit just above her knee. It was shimmery and, much to Beca's delight, showed just the right amount of cleavage.

Chloe made it down the last step and stood in front of Beca. She looked her up and down. Beca was wearing a black suit that consisted of just the slacks and jacket; and no shirt underneath. Chloe couldn't keep her eyes from drifting down to Beca's chest. Beca could only smirk as she gave Chloe a quick kiss.

"You look beautiful," Beca told her.

"So do you," Chloe said and leaned in to whisper in Beca's ear. "I may need a cold shower before we even leave."

Beca blushed but also laughed. "Let's get these pictures over with so we can go see my mom."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca and Chloe finally arrive at the dance and find their friends.

"Damn, shorty," Stacie said. "Looking hot."

Jesse was doing his best to look everywhere but at Beca. Chloe couldn't help but smile at everyone's reactions.

CR walks over with Denise on her arm. "Wow, Becs," CR said. "Looking good, girl."

"Thanks," Beca said. "Maybe we should find a table."

"We have one over here," Denise said pointing over her shoulder.

Everyone went to the table and sat. Beca held the chair for Chloe and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Chloe pulled her back down by gently tugging on her necklace. She gave her a teasing kiss on the lips. "You are so going to get lucky tonight," she whispered in Beca's ear before letting her go.

Beca gulped and blinked several times before she finally sat down.

"So, Beca," Jessica said. "What exactly was going on with you and Bumper at the game today? You two seemed awfully friendly."

Chloe looked at Beca with a raised brow. "Something you want to tell me, Beca?"

"It was nothing," Beca said and shrugged.

"It was something," Bumper said as he and Amy joined the table. "Beca told me what that Howie guy said to Aubrey and Stacie. I just mentioned it to Tom and Chicago and they took care of it."

"Wait," Aubrey said. "You, Tom, and Chicago took care of Howie for what _**he**_ said to _**us**_? No offense but you guys say stuff to us all the time."

"Yeah," Bumper said. "But, you're Barden girls and nobody messes with our Barden girls. And we don't really mean most of the stuff that we say. We kind of just say stupid shit just to be saying something."

Everyone around the table smiled. They were like a family and family takes care of its own.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Early the next morning, Chloe was quietly closing Beca's bedroom door to head back to the guest room. Aubrey stood in her doorway with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, my God, Brey," Chloe said putting her hand to her chest. "You scared me."

"Is there something you want to tell me?," Aubrey asked. "You know what? Never mind. She's my sister and I really don't want to know."

Chloe laughed and turned to continue to the guest room. She was almost to the door when she heard Carol say, "I see nothing. But, you might want to hurry because Ben will be coming out of our room soon. He might not be so blind."

Chloe races the last few steps to the guest room. She can hear Carol chuckling as she closes the door. She puts her back to the door and sighs, a big smile on her face thinking about last night with Beca.


	11. Chapter 11

Everyone eventually made their way downstairs to breakfast. Chloe was feeling somewhat relieved believing that Ben was unaware of which room she actually slept in. Counting it as a special occasion, Carol broke out the waffle iron and made waffles for everyone. The discussion was light, mainly talking about the game, how the dance went, and what everybody's upcoming week looked like. Chloe hadn't had much homework for the weekend so she was able to get it done after her cheer practice on Friday. She had obviously heard about the project Aubrey and Beca had for music class and was disappointed she wouldn't get to see them actually perform their songs. They agreed she'd stay for a while after breakfast to give a fresh set of eyes to their reports and watch them both perform the song they chose.

Breakfast was done and Chloe started to follow Beca and Aubrey upstairs when Ben stopped her and asked to speak to her in his office. Chloe looked nervously at Beca who grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay. Come on up when you're done," Beca told her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Chloe turned and followed Ben to his office.

"Have a seat, please," Ben said once they were alone with the door closed.

"I have a feeling I know what this is about," Chloe said nervously as she sat down.

"Carol and my ex-wife both have told me how smart you are," Ben said with a grin as he sat down as well. "Relax. We're not going to talk about what may or may not have happened last night. I really don't think anything good would come of that."

"Thank you," Chloe said and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know things are supposed to be different now, and this may come across as dated and patriarchal, but Beca's my little girl," Ben started, trying his best to find the right words. "My only child. Don't get me wrong, I love Aubrey and think of her as my own but it's different because she has her own father. But, between you and me, that won't stop me from having a similar conversation with her girlfriend." Ben gave a small chuckle. "But I digress. This conversation today is about you and Beca. Melissa told me she already talked to you and has nothing but great things to say on your behalf. And from what I've seen, I agree with everything Melissa and Carol have told me. My personal observation is that you make Beca happier than I've ever seen her. That more than anything is what's important to me. Keep making her happy. Do that and you'll always be welcome in my home. I could do the cliché thing and be all menacing about if you break her heart, blah, blah, but I think we both know that won't be necessary. Beca's got a great group of friends; they'll do that for me."

"Dr. Mitchell, sir, I promise you I'll do everything I can to make her as happy as she makes me. She's the most amazing person I've ever met, and I sometimes wonder how I was lucky enough to be the one she wants to be with," Chloe told him with a smile on her face.

"Call me Ben," Ben said, adding, "And you do realize she'd probably say pretty much the exact same thing about you right?"

"Isn't that what's supposed to happen in a good relationship?," Chloe asked.

"It is," Ben agreed. "As for last night, I still don't want to know. You're both basically adults so you don't have to pretend to stay in the guest room. We just won't talk about it ever again, agreed?"

"Agreed," Chloe said.

Chloe left Ben's office and closed the door. She let out the breath she had been holding and sighed with relief. She made her way upstairs to find Beca in Aubrey's room waiting for her.

"How'd it go?," Beca asked as soon as she walked in. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Chloe said with a smile. "I'll tell you everything later. Now, I want to hear your songs."

"I'm so nervous," Aubrey said as she got ready to start the music on her computer. "It's not that I don't know the song, I just really want Stacie to like it."

"I'm sure she will," Chloe said, beaming at her best friend. "You're an awesome singer, Bree, and everyone knows that. You could sing that silly ' _Friday_ ' song and she'd love it because it's you."

"Maybe, but you know how I am," Aubrey said with a nod. She started the music and proceeded to give a flawless performance, picturing Stacie in her mind as she sang. When she finished, both Beca and Chloe gave her a mini standing ovation.

"That was seriously great, Aubrey. Stacie will love it," Beca praised.

"I'm so proud of you!," Chloe added, hugging the blonde. She turned to Beca and, with a grin said, "OK, it's your turn now."

"Um, actually, mine would be best if we went down to the piano," Beca explained.

"Did you pick an Elton John song?," Chloe guessed.

"Nope," Beca said and shook her head, not saying more as she led the girls out of the room. Chloe glanced at Aubrey.

"Don't look at me, she's been kinda mum on what she's picked," Aubrey explained. "I haven't even heard her practicing here."

"You haven't practiced your song?," Chloe asked, a little surprised

"Oh, I've practiced. I just did it at mom and Alex's," Beca explained as she sat down at the piano. "What can I say? I wanted a little mystery."

"OK, now I've really got to hear this," Chloe added, her curiosity truly piqued.

"Your wish is my command." Beca grinned at Chloe as she started playing The Rolling Stones' ' _She's a Rainbow'_ from _'Their Satanic Majesties Request'_.

"BECA! THAT WAS AMAZING!," Chloe exclaimed when Beca finished her song. "I loved every bit of it, and it was so very apt."

"I'm glad," Beca smirked. "I had you, us, in mind when I picked it."

"If you don't get an A+ on this project, I'm going to have to have a serious talk with your teacher," Chloe said, giving Beca a deep kiss. "That is one of the sweetest things anyone's ever done for me."

"I'm really glad you liked it," Beca said and smiled. "As soon as this project was announced, that's where my mind went. I figured nobody else would pick it."

"Well, I'm glad no one did," Chloe said, kissing Beca on the cheek. "Do you two still want me to take a look at your reports before I go?"

"If you don't mind," Aubrey said. "I put so much work into it, I want to make sure it makes sense to someone else."

"It couldn't hurt," Beca said with a shrug. Chloe agreed and they all went back upstairs. Chloe had nothing but praise after she was done reading the papers, though she did catch a few typos here and there.

Aubrey and Beca thanked Chloe for her thoughts on their papers. Beca looked at Chloe, biting her lip.

"Hey, Chlo," Beca said. "I know you have to leave soon but I really want to know what my dad said to you. You seem awfully calm about your 'talk' and that worries me a little."

Chloe smiled. "You're so cute."

"Chloe," Beca whined.

"Do you want me to leave so you can have some privacy?," Aubrey asked them.

"No, that's okay," Beca said. "I know she'll tell you about it later anyway." Beca turned to Chloe and pleaded, "Just tell me, please?"

"Stop begging," Chloe said with a laugh. "He just told me to keep making you happy."

"That's it?," Beca asked in disbelief. "You spent twenty minutes in a room with my father talking and all he said was keep making me happy?"

"Well," Chloe said. "He also said that I didn't have to pretend to stay in the guest room when I spent the night."

Beca nearly choked on her own spit as she sputtered, "My dad? He. What?! How? What exactly did he say?"

"He said," Chloe cleared her throat and made her voice a bit deeper. "You're both basically adults so you don't have to pretend to stay in the guest room. We just won't talk about it ever again, agreed?"

"Wow," Aubrey said with a laugh. "I wonder what he'd say if he caught Stacie and me."

"Oh, he's fine with that, too," Chloe said. "He's planning on having the same conversation with her."

"Wow," Beca and Aubrey say simultaneously.

"I hate to have to cut this short," Chloe said. "But, I really do have to go."

"I wish you didn't have to," Aubrey said with a frown.

"Me, too," Chloe said and gave her a hug. "But I'll be spending the entire weekend with you next weekend. You know I wouldn't miss your birthday for anything."

"Now that you and Beca have become 'intimate' will I even get to spend time with you?," Aubrey asked teasingly.

"I'm all yours," Chloe said and laughed at the frown on Beca's face. "During the day." She walked over to Beca. "But at night. . ." She grabbed Beca and kissed her, hard. "I'm all hers."

Beca's face became a bright red causing both Aubrey and Chloe to laugh at her. "Shut up," was all Beca could manage to squeak out.

Eventually, though none of them wanted it, Chloe had to head home.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Everyone was in high spirits the next day. Up till music class, the most noteworthy thing that happened was Bumper being allowed to begrudgingly sit at their table during lunch. Beca made it clear it was up to Amy to keep him in line. Everyone could tell he wanted to say something but a glare from Aubrey shut him up.

"Thank you all for turning your papers in on time," Gail said as she checked to make sure that everyone had turned in their reports. "I look forward to reading them. I'm sure they're all fantastic."

"I still don't know why I couldn't do the _Baha Men_ , they're not American." Bumper said.

"The Bahamas may be a former British Colony, but they don't count as 'British Invasion'," Beca pointed out.

"Whatever. ' _Who Let the Dogs Out?'_ is one of the greatest songs of all time," Bumper snorted.

"You're really damaging all the good things you did on Saturday," Beca warned, rolling her eyes

"As much as I love these debates, I do have an actual plan," Gail interrupted. "As you all know, I asked you all to prepare a song to perform. We'll do that over the next four days with four performances each day. What I left out is that on Friday we'll be having a vote, and the top three will get to sing their songs as part of the halftime show at the last home football game of the season."

"Does coach know?," Bumper asked. "Some of us have to play that day."

"Your coach is well aware and, if you or Theo are selected, proper arrangements will be made," Gail responded. "If performed well, ' _She's Not There'_ could be a serious contender."

"What about me?," Bumper asked

"Well, ' _Mellow Yellow'_ is an interesting choice if you can make it work," Gail responded, doing her best to be polite. "Anyway, I figure we'd draw names from a hat each day to see who would perform on that day." She picked up an actual hat and drew out four pieces of paper and read them off. "Today, Jessica, Denise, Donald, and Flo will perform."

The four performed their songs while the others took notes. The process was repeated similarly the next three days. Everyone put all they had into their performances. Even Bumper's performance of Donovan's ' _Mellow Yellow'_ went over well.

On Friday, there was much debate over the third song to be performed at the halftime show. To no one's surprise, the top two performances were by Beca and Aubrey. The contentious debate was between Stacie's ' _Whole Lotta Love'_ and Jesse's ' _Pinball Wizard'_. There were some good arguments being made about which performance was better. Oddly, the biggest arguments came from Jesse and Stacie who were trying to make the case for the _**other**_ to get the final spot.

The class seemed to be split and Gail knew that she could just make the decision but wanted the class to come together and decide. She told everyone they were going to have another vote and this time it was just between ' _Whole Lotta Love'_ and ' _Pinball Wizard'._ They were told to write down Jesse or Stacie on a piece of paper and turn it in.

Everyone handed Gail their 'votes' and she took them to her desk. She counted them, twice because it was so close. After determining they had a winner, she smiled and stood up.

"Okay, guys, listen up," Gail said getting their attention. "It was close and our third performer will be," she paused for dramatic effect, "Jesse."

"Congratulations, Jesse," Stacie said jumping up to engulf him in a hug.

Jesse was stunned, still believing Stacie's performance was better than his. He graciously accepted the classes congratulations with a smile and thanked everyone for their support.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Aubrey finished cheer practice and was waiting with Stacie for Beca to pick her up. She was surprised to see her mother pull up. She gave Stacie a quick kiss and got in the car.

"Hey, mom," Aubrey said as she fastened her seat belt. "Where's Beca?"

"She forgot she promised to meet with her mom and Alex to talk about the wedding," Carol said. "She asked if I could pick you up."

"Oh," Aubrey said. "Can you bring me back up to the school later? We have an away game and I have to get here in time to catch the bus."

"Don't worry," Carol said with a smile. "We'll figure something out."

Carol and Aubrey chatted about school and cheerleaders on the way home. When they reached the house Aubrey noticed a car in front of the house.

"Do we have visitors?," Aubrey asked.

"I don't know," Carol responded. "Let's go find out."

The two women got out of the car and Ben came out of the house. He looked at Carol and then at Aubrey.

"I'm glad you're home," Ben said. "This car needs to be moved."

"Whose car is it?," Aubrey asked.

"Yours," Carol said as Ben held up the keys. She and Ben both laughed at the shocked look Aubrey's face.

"What?!," Aubrey squealed. "You bought me a car for my birthday?"

"Actually, your father bought it for you," Carol said. "It was Beca's suggestion."

Aubrey hugs Carol and Ben. "I have to call Chloe. And Beca. And Stacie. I have to call everybody!"

Aubrey squeals and runs over to the car. "You might need these," Ben calls her back. He hands her the keys and she goes rushing back over to check out her new car.

"I guess she likes it," Carol said with a laugh.

"It's a 2018 BMW," Ben said with admiration. "What's not to like."


	12. Chapter 12

Beca's phone pinged for about the twentieth time while she was discussing wedding plans with her mom and Alex. She looked down and saw it was a message from Aubrey.

"May I?," Beca asked her mom, holding up her phone. "It's from Aubrey."

"Go ahead," Melissa said.

Beca opened her phone and read Aubrey's text and started smiling. "She likes the car."

"That's great," Melissa said. "Oh, Alex and I got something for Aubrey for her birthday. I'll go get it so you can take it home with you. Oh, and while I'm gone you should call Chloe. I know she's been texting you like crazy so it might be important."

Beca blushed and said, "Thanks, mom." Beca pulled up Chloe's name and pressed call.

"Beca," Chloe said as soon as she answered the phone. "I've been texting you for forever."

"I'm sorry," Beca said. "I'm with mom and Alex discussing the wedding. Is everything okay?"

"My parents want to meet you," Chloe said. "They've invited you to dinner."

"What? Now?," Beca asked nervously.

"No, silly," Chloe laughed. "They're having a date night tonight. They want you to come over on Sunday."

"Wait," Beca said. "You're coming over to my house tonight, right?"

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I'm already packed for the weekend. I was waiting to make sure you or Aubrey were home before I left."

"Do you want me to come pick you up to take you to my house?," Beca asked. "That way I can drive you home on Sunday and have dinner with you and your parents."

"Aw, Becs, that's so sweet," Chloe said. "I'd love that."

"Okay, what's your address?," Beca asked. Hearing the address Beca said, "That's only like five blocks from here. Let me just say goodbye to my mom and Alex and I can be there in 10-15 minutes. Is that okay?"

"That's perfect," Chloe said. "I'll see you soon."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca carries Chloe's weekend bag into the house. Carol and Ben are in the kitchen having a snack.

"Hey, dad," Beca said. "Hey, Carol."

"Hey, girls," Carol said. "How's the wedding planning going, Beca?"

"It's actually coming along really well," Beca said. "Not much to really do until the bachelorette parties. By the way, you, Aubrey, and Chloe are invited."

"Seriously?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Beca said. "It's just going to be a spa day and brunch."

"Spa day?," Chloe asked. "I'm in."

"Count me in, too," Carol said.

"I can't believe you're going to my ex-wife's bachelorette party," Ben said shaking his head.

"She was Aubrey's teacher," Carol said. "I knew her before I met you and we get along great. You should be happy about that."

"I guess," Ben said. "Well, _my_ daughter is home so I'm going to bed." He kisses Carol and gives Beca a hug.

"Good night, dad," Beca said.

"Good night, ladies," Ben said and headed upstairs.

"Do you know what time Aubrey will be home?," Chloe asked.

"She texted and said she was going to take Stacie, Emily, and Flo home to pick up their stuff for the weekend," Carol said. "They should be here any minute."

Just then they hear car doors slamming and excited voices. Aubrey leads the other girls in.

"Chloe!," she squeals as soon as she sees her. "Come see my new car." She grabs the redhead by the hand and drags her outside.

"Hey, girls," Beca said laughing. "Stace, are you staying in Aubrey's room?"

"I, um," Stacie said quickly glancing at Carol.

"It's okay, Stacie," Carol said. "I'm just going to pretend you guys are only sleeping in there."

Stacie laughs. "Then, yes, I'll be staying in Aubrey's room."

"Good," Beca said. "Em, you and Flo can share the guest room. Tomorrow night we can all sleep in the basement since we'll have more people to deal with."

"Isn't it great?," Aubrey is asking Chloe as they come back into the house.

"It's pretty awesome," Chloe said.

Aubrey goes over to Beca and grabs her in a big hug. "Thank you!."

"For what?," Beca mumbles as she pushes Aubrey off of her.

"My mom told me it was your suggestion to have my dad buy me the car," Aubrey said.

"I was just getting tired of you borrowing mine," Beca said trying to play it off.

"Hey, do we want to change into our pajamas and watch a movie?," Emily asked.

The girls all agree and go upstairs to change. They argue over what movie to watch before settling on _Mean Girls_ (again).

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

The next morning, Beca and Chloe are standing outside Aubrey's bedroom door.

"I'm not going in there without knocking or making some kind of noise," Beca said shaking her head.

"It's her birthday," Chloe said. "We have to surprise her."

"What if they're nude?," Beca asks in a whisper. "Or doing, you know, stuff."

"Stuff?," Chloe asked with a smirk. "You mean stuff like we did last night? Thank you for that by the way."

Beca blushed bright red and mumbled, "I just really don't want to see my sister's junk or them going at it."

"Trust me," Chloe said giving Beca a quick kiss. "You'd know if they were 'going at it'. Aubrey is very vocal when she org-"

Beca slapped her hand over Chloe's mouth. "Don't say another word." Chloe nods her head and mumbles what Beca thinks is "Promise". She takes her hand away from Chloe's mouth to see the redhead smiling at her.

"Fine," Beca said. "On the count of three. 1-2-3!"

"Surprise!," Chloe and Beca yell as they rush through the door. Beca lets out a scream and covers her eyes. "DUDES!"

"What?," Stacie said. "We like to sleep naked."

"I'm just. Um, I'll, be um," Beca stutters and mumbles as she blindly makes her way to the door. "We'll see you downstairs." She grabs Chloe's arm and drags her out of the room. "I told you I didn't want to go in there."

Chloe laughed at her girlfriend as they went back to her room to get ready for the day.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

"So, what's the plan for today?," Chloe asked as she put the finishing touches on her makeup.

"Well, Carol is taking Aubrey and Stacie out to brunch," Beca said. "The rest of us will be here setting up for the party. Decorating, setting up tables and my DJ stand, putting the speakers out. My dad has a caterer for the main food but we'll need to get the snacks like chips and dip, cheese and crackers, that sort of thing, ready. Oh, remind me I have to pick up the cake before 4:00. That's when the bakery closes."

"Got it," Chloe said. "What music did Aubrey give you to play tonight?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Beca said with a mischievous smile. "I have to admit it was quite the challenge to put something together that won't make everyone's ears bleed."

"Aubrey's taste in music is not that bad," Chloe said.

"Oh, but it is," Beca said. "She only gave me a list of songs from the 80s sung by women. I'm surprised my ears haven't bled just trying to incorporate songs by only women with a few decent songs by 80s groups or men."

There was a knock on Beca's door and Emily's voice calling, "Hey, guys? Carol wants us all downstairs to go over some party stuff before she leaves with Aubrey."

"We'll be right down, Em," Beca calls out.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

The guests started arriving and Beca was in the basement double checking to make sure everything was ready. Chloe was by her side and as soon as the first group made their way down Beca started playing some background music.

 _Welcome to the jungle we've got fun and games  
We got everything you want honey, we know the names  
We are the people that can find whatever you may need  
If you got the money, honey we got your disease_

 _Jungle, welcome to the jungle_  
 _Watch it bring you to your shun n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees_  
 _Uh, I, I want to watch you bleed_

"Welcome to the Jungle?," Chloe said standing next to Beca. "Seriously?"

"Hey, it's from the 80s," Beca said with a smirk. "Plus, with this bunch of animals, it seemed fitting."

 _Welcome to the jungle we take it day by day  
If you want it you're gonna bleed but it's the price to pay  
And you're a very sexy girl, very hard to please  
You can taste the bright lights but you won't get there for free  
In the jungle welcome to the jungle  
Feel my, my, my serpentine  
Oh,_

 _Oh girls they wanna have fun  
Oh girls just wanna have  
That's all they really want  
Some fun_

Chloe started laughing. "Oh, my God, I can't believe you segue from Guns N Rose to Cyndi Lauper."

"I did something a little different," Beca said. "I put together like a riff-off."

"What the hell is a riff-off?," Chloe asked. Beca starting explaining as more people showed up.

 _When the working day is done  
Oh girls, they wanna have fun  
wanna, they just wanna  
They just wanna, they just wanna, oh girl  
Girls they wanna have fun_

 _They just wanna, they just wanna  
They just wanna, they just wanna, girls  
They just wanna, they just wanna, oh girls  
Girls just want to have fun_

 _When the working  
When the working day is done  
Oh when the working day is done oh girl  
Girls, they wanna have fun  
They just wanna, they just wanna  
They just wanna, they just wanna, oh girls  
Girls just want to have fun_

Beca took the mic and got everyone's attention. "Welcome, everybody. The birthday girl would like to say a few words before we really get this party started. So, without further ado, I turn this over to Aubrey."

Some of the kids clapped and Stacie let out a wolf whistle causing Aubrey to laugh and blush. "Thank you, everyone, for coming. I want to thank my best friend, Chloe, and my girlfriend, Stacie, for helping put this all together. I also want to thank my sister, Beca, for her help as well. And for being DJ for the night. Now, there's food all over and the drinks are at the bar. There will be no alcohol and if you are caught with any you will be asked to leave. Beyond that, have fun and thanks again for being here tonight."

Beca took the mic. "Okay, this first song is a special request from the birthday girl." Beca pushes a button and the sounds of Whitney Houston fill the basement.

Aubrey rushes over to Stacie and grabs her by the waist and drags her to the makeshift dance floor. She starts singing and dancing around the brunette.

 _Clock strikes upon the hour  
And the sun begins to fade  
Still enough time to figure out  
How to chase my blues away  
I've done alright up to now  
It's the light of day that shows me how  
And when the night falls, loneliness calls_

 _Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  
I wanna feel the heat with somebody  
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me  
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  
I wanna feel the heat with somebody  
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me_

"Are you going to be able to get away and dance with me?," Chloe asked as they watched Stacie and Aubrey get everybody else out on the dance floor.

"Of course," Beca said. She queued up some songs to follow Ms. Houston's, the first being The Kinks' _Come Dancing_. As they moved so they were near Aubrey and Stacie, Beca became distracted when she saw Howie, the football player who had given Aubrey a hard time. He was following a Crestfield cheerleader named Alice to the dance floor. Beca pointed him out to Chloe and leaned in to ask, "What's he doing here?"

"I don't know," Chloe said. "Aubrey had me invite Alice because they have this complicated friendship. I don't know why she'd invite Howie, last I knew they weren't going out. I didn't even say she could bring a plus one."

"Screw that," Beca said heading over to the pair, a move noticed by Aubrey and Stacie. "Hey! Where the fuck do you get off? You harass my sister and then have the balls to walk into our house for her birthday party? What the fuck is your game?"

"Beca, let him be," Aubrey said, having followed the shorter girl. "He's not worth it. He got what was coming to him." She then turned to her 'friend' Alice. "I thought you were better than this Alice?"

"Not my fault you and Chloe are such slutbags you can't see what a good guy Howie is," Alice shrugged.

"Oh, no you didn't," Beca snarled and lunged at Alice.

"Beca! Don't," Chloe said stepping in front of the irate brunette to hold her back. "She's not worth it either."

"You two need to get the fuck out of my house," Beca told the two, who stood there with smug looks on their faces.

"What? No way," Alice said. "I _was_ invited and it's not your party."

"Yeah, well it's my house and I'm uninviting you," Beca said struggling to get away from Chloe. "Allow me to show you to the door."

"Beca, stop!," Chloe said. "Alice, just leave and take Howie with you."

"Is there a problem here?," a voice said from behind Beca.

Beca turns at the sound of the voice and sees Tom, standing with Chicago and Theo. "Just great. Now we have all the homophobes here."

"No problem," Chloe said. "These two were just leaving." She turned to Alice and Howie. "Weren't you?"

Howie swallowed hard seeing Tom and Chicago standing there. Remembering the hit that Chicago gave him he decided it was best to leave things alone. "Let's go, Alice," he said grabbing the cheerleader's arm.

By now, everyone was gathered around watching the scene unfold before them. Jesse, Bumper, and Benji stood behind Alice and Howie, ready to step in if needed.

"Whatever," Alice said. "The party is boring anyway." She looks at Beca and adds, "And the music sucks."

Beca struggles harder to get away from Chloe. Aubrey and Stacie step in to help hold Beca back.

"Alice leave now," Aubrey said trying to keep her temper in check. "Or else we're going to let Beca go. And I guarantee you do not want that."

"Fine," Alice said and looked at four girls standing in front of her. "You're nothing but a bunch of slutbag dykes anyway. Come on, Howie, let's go."

Everyone moves to create a path for Howie and Alice to walk through. Aubrey and Stacie continue to help Chloe rein in Beca, who is still wanting a piece of Alice, especially after the comment about the music. Just as Howie and Alice reach the steps they stop short when a man is blocking their way.

"Did I just hear you call my daughter and her friends slutbags?," the man asked looking down at Alice.

Aubrey whips her head around. "Daddy?"

* * *

 **Songs used/mentioned:**

" _ **Welcome to the Jungle"**_ **by Guns N' Roses (1987)  
** " _ **Girls Just Want to Have Fun"**_ **by Cyndi Lauper (1984)  
** _ **"I Want To Dance With Somebody"**_ **by Whitney Houston (1987)  
** _ **"Come Dancing"**_ **by The Kinks (1983)**


	13. Chapter 13

" _Did I just hear you call my daughter and her friends slutbags?," the man asked looking down at Alice._

 _Aubrey whips her head around. "Daddy?"_

"Aubrey," Mr. Posen said and looks over at his daughter. "Happy Birthday!"

Aubrey goes running over to him, pushing Alice and Howie out of her way so she can hug her father.

"I can't believe you're here," Aubrey said into her father's shoulder.

Mr. Posen pulls back from the hug when he hears Alice say, "Excuse us. We'd like to go now."

"Not yet," Mr. Posen said. "I believe you owe Aubrey and her friends an apology. And it better be sincere, because I know who your parents are."

Alice looked up at Mr. Posen and swallowed. Howie stood behind her, shaken and pale.

"Aubrey," Alice said and looked at the blonde. "I apologize for my behavior."

Mr. Posen raises an eyebrow and Alice swallows again, her fear very evident. "I apologize for my behavior and calling you and your friends slutbags."

Mr. Posen waits for Aubrey to respond. "Accepted," Aubrey tells her. "Now, please leave and make sure you take Howie with you."

"Aw, HELL NO!," Beca yells and breaks free from Chloe and Stacie. She makes it to Alice and before anyone can stop her, slaps her across her face. Alice's hand flies up to cover her face. Beca looks at her and said, "Now you can go."

Alice is stunned and Howie grabs her by the arm and hustles her up the steps. Beca watches them go and yells after them, "And I'd better not hear about you messing with Chloe at school either." She then turns to see everyone staring at her and smiling.

"What?," Beca asked. "She deserved it."

Aubrey grabs Beca in a hug. "Thank you!"

Chloe and Stacie join in the hug. "Need to breathe," Beca said from the middle of the group hug.

Aubrey and Stacie let go and Aubrey leads Stacie over to her father. Chloe keeps her arms around Beca and leans in to whisper, "You are so going to get lucky tonight." To which Beca blushes and smiles.

Aubrey looks at her father and smiles. She pulls Stacie closer to her and said, "Daddy, this is Stacie. My girlfriend."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Stacie," Mr. Posen said putting out his hand for Stacie to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Mr. Posen," Stacie said.

"And, this little badass," Aubrey said with a smile as she pulled Beca over, "is my stepsister, Beca."

"Hey," Beca said.

"Nice to meet you, Beca," Mr. Posen said. "I can see that Aubrey is in good hands around here."

"Yeah, well, she kind of grows on you," Beca said affectionately. "If you'll excuse me, I need to put some music on."

Beca takes Chloe's hand and walks her over to the DJ setup. She pulls up a few songs and starts to queue them up when Chloe stops her. "Can I pick a song?," she asked Beca. "I know what Aubrey likes."

Beca shows her what to do. She then sits back and lets Chloe do her thing. After a few minutes, Chloe smiles. "Are you ready for this?," Chloe asked.

"Go for it," Beca tells her. Chloe gives her a smirk and hits play.

Beca's eyes go wide and she looks at Chloe who is biting her lip to keep from laughing at the look on Beca's face. "Seriously?"

Beca's head jerks around as everyone starts laughing and singing along to the chorus.

 _It's the eye of the tiger  
_ _It's the thrill of the fight  
_ _Rising up to the challenge of our rival_

 _And the last known survivor  
_ _Stalks his prey in the night  
_ _And he's watching us all  
_ _With the eye of the tiger_

Beca goes to her computer and stops the song causing everyone to stop singing and several "Heys" to be shouted.

"Ha, ha. You've had your fun," Beca said. "Let's get back to the real party." She hit play and the sounds of Joan Jett's _I Love Rock and Roll_ filled the air.

"Come on, Rocky," Chloe said grabbing Beca's hand. "Let's dance."

"I'm going to go upstairs with your mother and Ben," Mr. Posen tells Aubrey. "I don't have to go back until Monday so I hope we can have brunch together tomorrow."

"I'd like that," Aubrey said smiling.

"Good," Mr. Posen said. "I'll pick you up around eleven if that's okay? Oh, and Stacie, you're welcome to join us."

"Thanks, Mr. Posen," Stacie said. "But I'm going to have to decline. I think you and Aubrey should enjoy your time together."

"Alright, then," Mr. Posen said. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid."

"Thank you, daddy," Aubrey said. She gives him another hug and kisses him on the cheek. He smiles back at her and goes upstairs.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

"Okay, everyone," Beca called out. "It's time for cake so everyone gather around the table."

The crowd moves to gather around the table and Aubrey is standing at the middle section. Carol pulls out the lighter and lights the candles. Beca begins singing the "Happy Birthday" song and everyone joins in. Aubrey blows out the candles and Carol starts cutting the cake.

"Thanks for this, mom," Aubrey said. "I can't believe you got dad to be here."

"I didn't," Carol said. She looked over at Beca who was kissing Chloe.

"Beca got him here?," Aubrey asked somewhat astonished.

"I guess she really does think of you as a sister," Stacie told her.

"She asked for his number," Carol said. "She said she wanted to thank him for getting you the car. She didn't tell me she talked him into coming for your birthday."

Aubrey wiped a tear away as she looked at Beca. Beca and Chloe saw her and walked over, worried.

"What's wrong, Brey?," Chloe asked pulling her into a hug.

"Your girlfriend is what's wrong," Aubrey sniffled.

"Oh, God," Chloe said pulling out of the hug and looking at Beca. "What did you do now?"

"I didn't do anything," Beca said, deer in the headlights look on her face.

"Yes, you did," Stacie said, crossing her arms in front of her and staring down at Beca.

"It was...something else," Carol said. "I must say."

"What? No," Beca said feeling cornered. "I swear I didn't do anything."

"I this it's time you just confessed, Beca," Mr. Posen said stepping up behind her.

"I swear, sir," Beca said turning to face him. "I didn't do anything to make Aubrey cry. You have to believe me."

"So, you didn't call my dad and get him to come to my party?," Aubrey asked, hiding a smile.

"What?," Beca said turning to face Aubrey, totally confused now.

"She did," Mr. Posen said and smiled.

"Dude, you promised not to tell," Beca said incredulously.

"You know, Beca," Chloe said, hugging Beca from behind, "you're badass rep is totally ruined tonight."

"How?," Beca asked. "I totally bitch-slapped Alice. Badass right here." She pointed her finger at herself.

Everyone laughed at her causing Beca to blush. Chloe kissed her cheek. "I love you, my little badass."

"Awww," Stacie and Aubrey said.

"Beca," Aubrey said moving to stand in front of Beca. "When I first found out about my mom and your dad, I kind of hated you."

"Kind of?," Beca asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, fine, I hated you," Aubrey said. "I hated that you were so open and proud of being gay. I mean I was out but the kids at Crestfield weren't very accepting. So, I kept a low profile. I also hated that I had to move and leave all my friends, leave Chloe, and move in here with you and Ben. I didn't want to be your stepsister."

Beca looked down at the floor and scuffed her toe across the carpet.

"I wasn't immediately thrilled when you said you liked Chloe," Aubrey said. "But, despite my actions and attitude toward you, I couldn't think of anyone better for my best friend." Chloe smiled at her. "Not only did you become my best friend's girlfriend, but you also became my friend. Thank you for all this, Beca. I don't think I've said this to you before but I love you, sis."

Beca had to swallow a couple of times. She discreetly wiped a tear with the back of her hand and finally looked up.

"Yeah, well, I guess I kind of love you, too," Beca said and after a beat added, "Sis."

The two sisters hug and everyone else stands back with a smile.

"Okay, enough of this sappy shit," Beca said pulling back from Aubrey. "Let's party!"

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

The next morning Beca, Chloe, and Carol were preparing breakfast for everyone who stayed the night. Aubrey was still in her room getting ready for brunch with her dad. Stacie was helping her.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to brunch?," Aubrey asked.

"No," Stacie said. "I meant what I said last night. You should spend some alone time with your dad."

Aubrey looked at Stacie and smiled. "I love you, you know?"

"That's good," Stacie said and wrapped her arms around Aubrey. "Because I love you, too."

Aubrey leaned in and kissed Stacie. She pulled back when there was a knock on the door. The door opened and Beca peeked in with her hand over her eyes.

"Aubrey," Beca said. "Your dad's here."

"You can look, Beca," Stacie said with a laugh. "We're both fully clothed."

"Yeah, well, with you two you never know," Beca said.

Aubrey laughed. "Can you tell my dad I'll be down in about 5 minutes?"

"You got it," Beca said and left.

"Hey, you want to go to a movie tonight?," Stacie asked as Aubrey was gathering her bag and keys.

"I'd love to," Aubrey said. "I'll text you when I get home and we can figure out the details." Stacie nods and Aubrey takes a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing."

The two girls walk downstairs. Mr. Posen looks at Aubrey and tells her she looks beautiful.

"I'll see you all later," Aubrey tells everyone as she and her dad start to walk out the door. She stops and gives Stacie a quick kiss and then runs out after her father.

"Hey, Beca," Stacie said. "I heard Chloe say something about you two going shopping. Is it a date or can I tag along? Aubrey asked me to be her date for your mom's wedding and I need to find a nice dress."

"That's why I need to shop, too," Chloe said. "You can come. Right, babe?"

"Sure," Beca said. "I, unfortunately, will have to wear whatever monstrosity my mom and Alex pick out."

"Why?," Stacie asked with a small laugh.

"Because Beca is her mom's Maid of Honor," Chloe said. "I'm glad you're going with Brey. I'll have someone to hang out with while Beca is doing her Maid of Honor duties."

"Come on you two," Beca said. "I have to get Chloe home by 6:00 to have dinner with her folks."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca drops Stacie off at home before rushing home to shower and change before going to Chloe's. She spends way too much time trying to find something to wear.

"Becs," Chloe said. "Wear whatever you're comfortable in. My parents aren't going to care. We'll all be in jeans and shirts."

"I want to make a good impression," Beca said. "You're only the person I dated that actually made me want to meet their parents."

"Awww," Chloe said and kissed Beca. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"Yeah, well," Beca said. "Don't tell anyone. They'll all be expecting me to be sweet to them, too."

"Here," Chloe said, handing Beca a pair of black skinny jeans and a blue and black plaid shirt. "Wear this. I like that shirt on you."

"Fine," Beca said and got dressed.

Beca grabbed Chloe's bag and the two went downstairs. Aubrey was home after having a really nice brunch with her dad. She was talking to Stacie when Beca waved at her to let her know she and Chloe were leaving.

"Hey, Stacie said thanks for taking her shopping today," Aubrey said. "Call me later, Chloe."

"Tell her 'you're welcome'," Beca said and led Chloe out to the car.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca was nervous as she drove and Chloe did everything she could to relax Beca. They arrive and Beca parks the car in the driveway. She turns off the car and sits there, running her sweaty palms up and down her legs. Chloe looks at Beca and sees she's looking a little green as she stares at the house. Chloe turns and pulls Beca to her and gives her a kiss. A hot, passionate kiss. She pulls back and says, "Let's go in."

Beca blinks once or twice and gets out of the car. Chloe takes her hand and tries to hide her smile as Beca obediently follows her with a flushed face. Chloe opens the front door and leads Beca into the house. Beca stops just inside the door and stands there.

"Mom? Dad?," Chloe calls out. "I'm home."

An older version of Chloe comes from what Beca assume is the kitchen. "Hello, dear," Mrs. Beale said, wiping her hands on a towel. "How was Aubrey's party?"

"It was great," Chloe said. "Aubrey sends her love."

"Um, hi, Mrs. Beale," Beca said somewhat calmer that she was in the car. "I'm Beca Mitchell. It's nice to meet you."

"Welcome, Beca," Mrs. Beale said. "Please call me Charlotte. Come into the kitchen. Dinner's almost ready."

Beca follows Chloe and Charlotte into the kitchen. "Chloe, could you go get your father? He's in the den. Tell we're about ready to eat."

"Sure thing, mom," Chloe said. She gave Beca a quick kiss on the cheek and left the room.

"So, Beca," Charlotte said as she went to the stove to stir something in a pot. "Chloe tells me you're a Junior at Barden."

"Yes, ma'am," Beca said. "Can I help with anything?"

"How are you at mashing potatoes?," Charlotte asked.

"Do you have any Ranch Dressing?," Beca asked.

"Hey, dad," Chloe said as she walked into the den. "Mom said dinner's almost ready."

"Where's Beca?," Carl Beale asked.

"In the kitchen with mom," Chloe replied.

"Well, let's go so I can officially meet her," Carl said.

"You're going to love her," Chloe said with a smile.

Chloe and her dad walk into the kitchen to find Beca and Charlotte laughing over something.

"What's going on in here?," Carl asked as he walked over to Charlotte and gave her a quick kiss.

"Beca was just telling me what happened at the party last night," Charlotte said. "You were right. She's a badass."

Beca's cheeks turned pink and Chloe laughed. "She really is," Chloe said. "Beca, this is my dad, Carl Beale. Dad, this is my girlfriend, Beca. My Beca."

Beca 's eyebrows raised and she smiled at Chloe. "It's nice to meet you, sir," Beca said. "I'd shake your hand but I'm making quite a mess trying to mash these potatoes."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Beca," Carl said. "What exactly are you doing to those mashed potatoes?"

"Oh, I'm adding Ranch Dressing," Beca said. "I use it instead of cream or milk. Gives it a little bit of extra flavor."

"Sounds good," Carl said and reached a finger in the bowl to taste them. Beca reflexively slapped his hand and then froze.

"I'm so sorry," Beca said, embarrassed. "I swear it was a reflex. I would never hit anyone."

Charlotte and Chloe started laughing, followed by Carl.

"She'll fit right in here," Charlotte said.

Chloe grabbed Beca from behind and hugged her. "I told you that you had nothing to worry about. They love you already." Chloe kissed Beca on the cheek and went to set the table.

Dinner was over and Beca sat with the Beales and talked for a while. It was almost 9:00 and she had offered her apologies and got up to leave.

"Beca, those mashed potatoes were really good," Charlotte said. "I may just have to make them like that from now on."

"I'm glad you liked them," Beca said. "My mom's fiancé taught me that trick. She owns _Alex's Diner_ that's not too far from here."

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Beca," Carl said. "You're welcome any time. Hope to see you soon."

"Thanks," Beca said. "That means a lot to me."

"I'll walk out with you," Chloe said. " I have to get my stuff out of your car."

"Okay," Beca said. "Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Beale. Thanks again for having me."

The Beales waved and closed the door. Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and leaned into her as they walked to Beca's car.

"They love you," Chloe said. They reached the car and Beca turned to face Chloe.

"They're really great," Beca said. "I felt like I was part of the family."

Chloe leaned in and kissed Beca. They had a mini-makeout session before Beca finally pulled away.

"I really do have to go," Beca said. "School tomorrow and all that."

"I know," Chloe said. "Text me when you get home."

"I will," Beca said and kissed Chloe one more time. "Now get inside before your dad comes out here and doesn't like me anymore."

"Not gonna happen," Chloe said and kissed Beca. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Chloe turns to go back into the house. "Um, Chlo?," Beca called out.

"Yeah?," Chloe said stopping to look at Beca.

"You forgot your bag," Beca said.

"Oh, right," Chloe said and ran back to the car. She grabbed her stuff and kissed Beca before turning and going into the house.

Beca waited until Chloe was inside before she got in the car and drove off. She smiled all the way home.


	14. Chapter 14

**BeChloeIsLegit Note: Sorry for the delay in posting. I had to light a fire under Zap, but we're back and hopefully will update sooner than last time. Fingers crossed.**

* * *

The next few weeks were hectic but mundane. Melissa and Alex's wedding was rapidly approaching. As her mom's Maid of Honor, Beca was helping with quite a bit of the planning. She always made time for a weekly date at the diner with Chloe. Sometimes Aubrey and Stacie would join them, sometimes not.

With school, planning the wedding, and everything else, Beca was torn between wanting to support her sister and their friends and wanting to support Chloe. She wanted to be true to her Barden team and attend their games, but she also wanted to be there for Chloe while she was cheering for Crestfield. Beca finally realized, by some minor miracle when Barden had home games, Crestfield was away, and when Barden was away, Crestfield was home. This fact made Beca's decision on which game to attend much easier.

Given everything, and the fact that Aubrey had a car now, Beca found herself spending more and more time at her mother's house, especially on nights when she went to Crestfield's home games, which of course always ended with a sleepover.

With all the time she was spending with Chloe, Beca found herself meeting more of Chloe's friends. Chloe wasn't surprised that Beca and her friend Luke hit it off. They both had the same taste in music, and after listening to some of Luke's stuff, Beca was able to convince her mother and Alex to let Luke DJ their wedding reception. Luke was extremely good-looking, and Beca was a bit worried that he and Chloe might have been a thing. Her fears were allayed when Chloe told her that Luke was gay.

What Chloe was surprised by was how worked up Liesl Krieger, Crestfield's tall, blonde German exchange student, would get her girlfriend. She huffed as she thought about the blonde giant that her 'posse' called _Kommissar_. What kind of a name was that?

"Kommissar was flirting with you," Chloe said to Beca once they were finally alone in the brunette's car after Crestfield beat the Carter High Vikings. " _Kleine Maus_ , what does that even mean?"

"Tiny mouse," Beca explained, not realizing that Chloe had meant it as more of a rhetorical question.

"Of course you speak German," Chloe replied in an exasperated tone. "That doesn't help things at all."

"I'm sorry, Chlo," Beca said, finally picking up on Chloe's mood. "She may have been flirting with me, but _**you're**_ the one I'm taking home. Is she attractive? Yes, even you can't deny that. It doesn't matter because you are much more attractive to me. She's too fiercely independent and dominant for my taste. It would be like if Aubrey and I met under different circumstances. Aubrey's very attractive and gay like me, but we'd never work as a couple. Neither Aubrey or Liesl, Kommissar, or whatever her name is, is what I need or want in a partner. All we'd do is challenge each other and butt heads. It'd be nothing but a physical relationship at best. You, however, are warm and nurturing and caring. You take care of those you care about and let them take care of you, too. That's love. It's one of the many reasons I'm in love with you because it's both physical and emotional."

"Awww, now _**that's**_ what I needed to hear," Chloe said, leaning in and kissing Beca's cheek. "Let's head back to your mom's place so I can show you just how much I love you."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Once Beca and Chloe made it back to Melissa and Alex's house, they exchanged brief pleasantries before heading for Beca's bedroom, doing their best to keep as quiet as they could. They did finally get to sleep, curled up in each other's arms.

They woke the next morning to Melissa knocking on Beca's door.

"Hey, Bumblebee, you two might want to think about getting up," Melissa called through the door. "Alex is making waffles."

"What time is it even?," Beca asked, raising her head to glance over Chloe at her alarm clock on the nightstand. "9 AM? I want to sleep," she whined

"But, waffles babe," Chloe said from her position as the little spoon, snuggling into Beca. "I bet Alex makes great waffles."

"I hate that you're a morning person," Beca grumbled, kissing the back of Chloe's head. "You're right though. She totally does." She raised her head and in a louder voice said, "We'll be down in a bit."

"Ok, I'll tell her to put some on for you two," Melissa said.

Beca and Chloe took the opportunity to get out of bed and get dressed before heading downstairs for breakfast. When they finally made it to the kitchen, they were greeted with warm cups of coffee by Melissa.

"Oh, how I love you," Beca said after taking a drink.

"I love you, too," Chloe and Melissa both replied.

"You realize she was talking to the coffee, right?," Alex asked as she finished a batch of waffles

"Oh, we know," Melissa said with a grin and started taking things to the table.

Once everyone was situated, Melissa brought up her plans for the day. "I was thinking with both of you here, today would be a great day to find Beca's Maid of Honor dress. That way Chloe can help so she can coordinate her dress with yours."

"This is one of those times I wish you had a sister so she could be your Maid of Honor," Beca said. "You know like dad's brother, Uncle Jim, was his Best Man."

"It'll be fun, sweetie," Chloe said, joining the conversation. "Part of me is looking forward to being Aubrey's Maid of Honor when she gets married."

"That's much farther down the road," Beca pointed out. "At least I hope it is. This is imminent."

"It is," Melissa agreed. "Which is why we really need to get on things. And just think, the sooner it gets here, the sooner you get to spend the week here all by yourself while we're in Miami for our honeymoon."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Alex stayed behind while Melissa, Beca, and Chloe went dress shopping. Alex didn't want to see what Melissa's dress looked like until their wedding day. Alex had made plans with her sister, Dawn, and April to look for her dress as well as theirs. Dawn was going to be Alex's Maid of Honor, and April just needed a dress for the wedding.

Melissa and Beca were discussing colors for their dresses as they drove to the dress shop.

"Are you and Alex wearing white?," Beca asked with a snicker.

"Don't be a smartass, Beca," Chloe said. "Or I'll make sure that you wear a pink dress as the Maid of Honor."

"Hah," Beca said. "You don't have the power to make that happen."

"No," Melissa said. "But I do."

"You wouldn't," Beca said with a hint of panic.

"You're in luck," Melissa said. "Dawn is going to wear pink, and you get to wear purple. I want your dress to be a shade lighter or darker than the Royal Purple we've picked as one of our colors. Alex is going to do the same with Dawn's dress; only it will be a shade lighter or darker than the Mauve we've picked." Melissa reaches into her purse and pulls out a piece of paper with various shades of purple and pink. She pointed to a color and said, "See this is the Royal Purple. I thought we could look for something in Amethyst for you."

"You'd look hot in that," Chloe said looking between the seats to see the colors Melissa was showing Beca.

Beca blushed and smiled at Chloe. "Thanks, babe," Beca said and turned to her mother. "Okay, let's get this over with. I'm sure you've already picked out a few dresses for me to try on."

"I did," Melissa said as they pulled into the parking lot. "Behave yourself, and I might just take you girls to lunch when we're done."

The three women walk into the dress shop and are greeted by a salesperson. "Good morning, ladies," the woman said. "I am Toni and I will be assisting you today."

"Good morning," Melissa said. "I'm Melissa Reardon and there should be several dresses for us to look at under my name."

"Excellent," Toni said. "Follow me and I will have the dresses brought to you."

The three women follow Toni and are seated in a private room. Toni leaves to get the dresses and Chloe is looking around. She sees a dress and goes to look at it. She holds it out and is admiring it when Melissa walks over.

"That's pretty," Melissa said looking at the dress.

"It's gorgeous," Chloe said with admiration.

"Maybe I'll get to see you wear something like that one day," Melissa said.

"Maybe you will," Chloe said wistfully as she looked over at Beca. "I know we're young, but I feel like Beca is my one. Like we are truly meant to be together forever."

"For what it's worth," Melissa said with a smile. "I agree and approve.'

Chloe just smiled at her as Toni walked in with two other women, each carrying several dresses.

"Let's get this show on the road," Melissa said as the two walked over to look at the dresses.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

"I love the dress your mom picked out for you," Chloe told Beca as they walked into Alex's diner.

"I have to admit," Beca said. "As dresses go, it's not half bad. When are you going to get yours?"

"Now that I know what you're wearing," Chloe said. "I have one I think will pair well with it at home."

"How'd the shopping go?," Alex asked as she kissed Melissa.

"We both found the perfect dress," Melissa told her. "Beca's is the Amethyst color we discussed."

"Great," Alex said. "I'll make arrangements with Dawn to get our dresses next weekend."

"Hey, April," Chloe said seeing the teenager walk out from the kitchen.

"Hey, Chloe," April said. "Hey, Beca."

"Hey," Beca said and sat down in a booth. Chloe sat next to her. "So, I hear Alex is putting you in a dress for the wedding."

"Yeah," April said, not looking too happy about it. "What can I get you?"

"Hey, mom," Beca called back to Melissa. "What do you want to eat?"

Melissa and Alex walked over to the three girls. Melissa, Beca, and Chloe gave April their orders. April and Alex went to the kitchen and Melissa sat across from Beca and Chloe.

"Becs," Melissa said. "Since Alex and April will be dress shopping next weekend, are you free on Saturday to help me out here at the diner?"

"What time?," Beca asked.

"Probably the afternoon," Melissa said. "If you could come around lunch time that would be great."

"I'll have to miss Barden's game," Beca said. "We're undefeated and they're playing a tough team. Still, you guys are family so I can help out. Although, Chloe and I have a date that night so I can't work past six."

"We have a date next Saturday night?," Chloe asked.

"It's Saturday," Beca said. "Of course we have a date. Unless you have other plans."

"Nope," Chloe said with a smile. "We have our game at 1:00 and I should be home by 6:00. Then I'm all yours."

Beca kissed her and said, "Good to know."

"Are we still going to a movie tonight?," Chloe asked.

"What?," Melissa said. "You're voluntarily going to a real theater to see a movie?"

"Why not?," Beca said. "Dark theater, reclining seats, and a hot girl next to me. Win-win for me."

Melissa and Chloe both laughed. April brought out their food and the women spent the rest of the meal chatting about the wedding.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

The next two weeks are very hectic, especially for Beca. School has been getting tougher and homework demands leave her little time for more than school and the wedding. She has been spending most of her free time with her mother and Alex, helping to nail down the final details. She's barely seen Chloe except for their Saturday night date, although they make it a point to talk or text every day.

It's Saturday again and Beca is excited about the weekend because today is the spa day for all the women and tomorrow is the wedding. Which means the following week is their Fall Break and will be one of domesticity with Chloe while her mom and Alex are on their honeymoon.

Aubrey comes downstairs and greets Beca. "Are you ready?," Aubrey asked. "I told Stacie I'd text her when we were leaving."

"Yeah," Beca said. "Let's go."

The plan was for Beca to drive Aubrey and Stacie to the spa. Carol is going to meet them there because she was going out to breakfast with Ben since she'd be away the rest of the day. Melissa was picking up Chloe, and Dawn was driving Alex and April.

Beca pulls into the parking lot of the spa and sees that Chloe and her mother are waiting for them. Beca smiles and hurries out of the car and runs to Chloe. She grabs her and gives her a kiss that gets heated fast.

"Ahem," Melissa said loudly. "Don't I at least get a hug? I did give you life."

"Sorry," Beca said with a blush as she let Chloe go and hugged her mother. "You gave me life, but she is my life."

"I think I'm going to throw up," Aubrey said as she approached the three.

"Oh, hush, Brey," Stacie said. "I think it's romantic."

"I think she's going to get laid," Melissa said and Beca blushed.

The girls all laughed at her and Chloe smiled and said, "She's not wrong."

Beca blushed a bit more and smiled. Just then Alex pulled in and Melissa went over to greet everyone. She walked back over to Beca and the other girls.

"Looks like we're just waiting for Carol," Melissa said. "I'm going to go in and let them know we're here. You guys can come in when Carol gets here."

"I'll go with you," Alex said and grabbed Melissa's hand. The two walked into the spa.

"Oh, let me introduce everyone," Beca said. "You guys have already met April. This is her mother and Alex's sister, Dawn. Dawn, this is Chloe, my girlfriend, my sister Aubrey, and her girlfriend, Stacie."

Aubrey and Chloe both smiled when Beca referred to Aubrey as her sister.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Dawn said. "Do you all go to Barden?"

"No," Chloe said. "I go to Crestfield, they all go to Barden."

"Yeah, mom," April said. "Aubrey used to go to Crestfield until her mom married Beca's dad. Aunt Alex and I have told you all this."

"Right," Dawn said. "So, Beca, how's your music going? April speaks highly of it."

"She does, huh?," Beca said with a smile causing April to roll her eyes. "I thought she only liked the music her boyfriend made."

"I told you before, your music doesn't suck," April said with the hint of a smile.

"High praise coming from her," Dawn said.

Just then Carol pulled into the parking area and Aubrey went over to greet her. As the mother and daughter joined the group, Alex called to them from the door. They all entered and were greeted by a stylish looking woman.

"Welcome, ladies," the woman said. "I am Tanya and I will be your hostess for the day. If you follow me, we can get you started." The women followed Tanya, who showed them to a private changing room. "You may change into your robes and place your personal belongings in these lockers. Once you have changed, I will escort you to the sauna."

"Do we take everything off?," Alex asked.

"It is recommended at least for the sauna," Tanya responded. "Your massages come later and, if you're not comfortable, you may come back and put your bra and panties on."

"Thank you," Melissa said and Tanya left them to change.

As they were changing Carol asked, "What exactly are we having done today?"

"As Tanya said, first up we have the sauna," Melissa said. "Then we have mani/pedis, followed by the massages."

"Massages, huh?," Beca whispered to Chloe. "I don't know if I like the idea of someone else rubbing their hands all over you."

"Maybe we can ask for a couples massage," Chloe said. "That way we can be in the same room together."

"Can we do that?," Beca asked. "Mom?"

"Yeah?," Melissa responded.

"Can we ask for a couples massage?," Beca asked.

"Ohh, us, too," Stacie called out, and Aubrey nodded.

Alex laughed. "Mel and I are having a couples massage and we also requested for you four to have a couples massage. The rest are single."

"Yes!," Beca and Stacie exclaim, high-fiving each other.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

"I can't believe how relaxed I feel," Carol said as the women came out of the spa.

"I know," Beca said. "I've never had a massage before and wasn't sure I'd like it. But, wow, it was awesome."

"Alex had her cooks make us up a late lunch," Melissa said. "So, let's get to the diner. We'll meet you girls there."

Melissa and Alex left in Melissa's car. The others discussed who should ride with who and it was finally decided that Chloe would ride with Beca, Aubrey and Stacie with Carol, and April would go with Dawn.

Melissa and Alex had champagne for the adults. By the time lunch was over, the four women were too drunk to drive. Luckily, they had several teenage drivers to drive them home.

Beca and Chloe managed to get Melissa and Alex into bed before going into Beca's room. "I can't wait to wake them up in the morning," Beca said with an evil grin.

"Behave," Chloe said.

Beca pulled Chloe into a heated kiss. She pulled back with a smirk. "Are you sure you want me to behave?"

"I've changed my mind," Chloe said and pulled Beca into another steamy kiss.


	15. Chapter 15

It was just before nine when Beca woke the next morning with Chloe snuggled into her side. She smiled down at the redhead and managed to ease herself out of bed without waking her. She checked the time and decided to make pancakes for her mom and Alex.

Beca was pulling the bacon out of the oven when Chloe came into the kitchen. "Mmm, I thought I smelled bacon."

"And pancakes," Beca said as Chloe put her arms around Beca's waist.

"Hmm, very domestic of you," Chloe said as she kissed the side of Beca's head. "Can I expect to wake up to this next week while your mom and Alex are on their honeymoon?"

"Only if we have a replay of last night," Beca said and thoroughly kissed Chloe.

"That can be arranged," Chloe said and turned as she heard someone else coming downstairs. "I think someone else is up."

"Good morning, daughter," Melissa said. "Good morning, Chloe."

"Good morning, mom," Beca said. "How's the head?"

"I'm good," Melissa said. "I was tipsy when we got home but not enough to give me a hangover this morning."

"Where's Alex?," Chloe asked as they sat down to eat.

"She went to Dawn's last night," Melissa said. "The whole not seeing the bride on your wedding day until the actual wedding ceremony thing."

"When? How?," Beca asked. "We put her to bed with you last night."

"She wasn't that drunk either," Melissa said. "She waited a little bit after you tucked us in and then called an Uber to take her to Dawn's."

"How did we not hear-"

"Babe, don't ask that question," Chloe said.

"Why?" Chloe gave her a look. "Oh. Um, yeah, we should, um, probably get dressed after breakfast," Beca said blushing and stuttering. "And then go check out the reception hall to make sure everything is being set up. We have plenty of time before we have to be at the chapel."

"That sounds like a good idea," Melissa said with a grin. "Thanks for breakfast by the way."

"You're welcome," Beca said. "Will you need help with your dress?

"No, thanks," Melissa said. "I can manage."

The three women finish breakfast and all pitch in to clean the kitchen. They are done in no time.

"Okay," Beca said. "Chloe, why don't you shower first? It takes you longer to get ready than I do."

"On it," Chloe said. She gave Beca a quick kiss and hurried upstairs.

"That smile looks good on you," Melissa told Beca. "I hope it stays there for a very long time."

"As long as Chloe sticks around, it will," Beca said and smiled. "She's my Alex, mom."

"She pretty much said the same thing about you the other day," Melissa told her. "And I told her I approve so watch your step with that one young lady."

"I intend to," Beca said. "You'd better go get in the shower. Don't want to keep your bride waiting."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Chloe and Melissa were dressed and waiting downstairs for Beca. Chloe helped Melissa with the necklace Alex gave her when Beca called down to them.

"Hey!," Beca yelled. "Could one of you come up and help me? I can't get the zipper all the way up."

"I'm on it," Chloe said and went hurrying upstairs.

When Chloe got to Beca's room, she stopped in the doorway and stared at her girlfriend because the dress made Beca look really hot. Chloe knew that Beca and Dawn's dresses were identical except in color. And if Dawn looked half as good as Beca, the wedding pictures were going to be breathtaking.

She studied Beca for a moment; studied the dress on Beca. It was a classic style with subtle beading along the neckline and a delicately pleated bodice. The dress hit just at the knees to allow comfort and ease of movement. She had seen it when Beca was trying dresses on, but it pales in comparison to the way Beca looked now with her hair curled and framing her face. Her makeup was done to perfection, and the shoes added several inches to her height.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me all day?," Beca said with a smirk.

"Is that a real option?," Chloe asked as she walked over to Beca.

"Sadly, no," Beca said and smiled. "And you look stunning as always."

Chloe gave Beca a quick kiss and zipped up her dress. They went downstairs together. Beca stopped halfway and looked at her mom. Melissa looked great. She was wearing a white mid-length dress with three-quarter bell sleeves with an asymmetrical neck that left her shoulders bare.

"Wow, mom," Beca said with a soft smile. "You look...gorgeous."

"Why thank you," Melissa said. "So do you. We need to get going. We're going to take your car so Alex and I can get drunk at the reception."

The three women gathered their bags, keys, and phones and left the house. Beca drove them to the reception hall, and they all went in.

"Wow," Chloe said looking around. "This place looks amazing."

"Melissa, you look beautiful," Troy, the party organizer, called out. "Everything is exactly as you requested. The caterer shall be here in about an hour and will have everything set by the time you come back from the Chapel."

"Thank you, Troy," Melissa said. "I don't believe you've met Beca's girlfriend. Chloe, this is Troy. Troy, Chloe.

"It's nice to meet you," Chloe said with a little wave.

"You've done well for yourself, Beca," Troy said. "She's quite beautiful.

"Thank you," Chloe said with a slight blush to her cheeks.

"Stop hitting on my woman, Troy," Beca said giving him a playful glare.

"Oh, sweetie," Troy said. "You have nothing to worry about. My husband is all I can handle."

Melissa laughed and asked, "Where is Michael?"

"He's in the kitchen," Troy said. "You'll have to wait until the reception to see him. He's putting the finishing touches on your wedding cake."

"Fine," Melissa said. Ï want to look around a bit."

"Don't trust me?," Tory asked with a grin.

"Of course, I trust you," Melissa said. "I just want everything to be perfect."

"Don't worry, mom," Beca said. "Troy and Michael are the best. Everything will be perfect."

Troy walked the three women around the hall. He showed them where the DJ would be set up and the makeshift dance floor. The cake and gift tables were decorated as per the request of Beca.

"This looks awesome, Troy," Beca gushed.

Melissa looked at her watch. "We should be going. I need to be in my bride's room before Alex gets there. She's all about the tradition and superstition."

"Wonderful," Troy said. "We'll see you in a couple of hours."

The three women leave. They arrive at the chapel and Melissa hurries to get inside when they see Dawn's car turning into the parking lot. Beca and Chloe follow, and once Melissa is settled, Chloe goes out to look for Aubrey and Stacie.

She's standing in front of the chapel when the two girls arrive. "Where's your mom and Ben?," Chloe asked when Aubrey came up to her.

"Ben said something about a gift screw-up or something," Aubrey responded. "They should be here in a bit."

The three girls enter the Chapel and see April.

"You look very nice, April," Chloe said. "I can't believe Alex and Melissa got the two un-girliest girls into dresses."

Aubrey and Stacie laughed, and even April smiled. "I can't wait to see Beca in a dress," Stacie said.

"She looks hot," Chloe said and bit her bottom lip. "I mean like really hot."

"Okay, talking about my 'cousin' being hot is my cue to go see if my mom needs any help with Aunt Alex," April said and walked away.

"I hope what I said didn't bother her," Chloe said as she watched April walk away.

"No more than it bothers me to hear you say how hot my sister is," Aubrey said.

"You have to admit," Stacie said. "Beca is a little hottie. There's no denying it."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "Now it's time for me to find somewhere else to be."

Chloe and Stacie laughed at her. "Oh, there's your mom," Chloe said.

"Perfect timing," Aubrey said. "Now we can talk about something else."

"Hello, girls," Carol said as she and Ben approached them.

"Hi, mom. Ben," Aubrey said. "Do we want to go in and sit? The ceremony should be starting in just a bit."

"Let's go," Ben said and allowed the girls to go before him.

"I need to sit by the aisle," Chloe said. "I promised Melissa I'd get plenty of pictures of Beca in her dress. She looks really ho-, um, nice." Chloe blushed a bit when she realized what she almost said in front of Beca's father.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Alex walked down the aisle with Dawn at her side. It wasn't traditional, but Alex's father had disowned her many years ago when he found out she was gay. Alex's dress was white, sleeveless, knee-length, and had a Princess scoop neck with a chiffon and lace bodice.

Once they made it to the altar, it was time for Beca and Melissa to come down the aisle. Chloe was staring at Beca and Aubrey nudged her.

"Stop drooling, or you'll never get a picture of her," Aubrey said with a teasing laugh.

Chloe blushed slightly and held up her phone to get several pictures of Beca and Melissa walking down the aisle.

The ceremony went off without any problems. Chloe couldn't keep her eyes off Beca, and every time she looked at her, Beca was looking back. God, she loved that girl.

After the ceremony, the bridal party stayed back to have pictures taken. Chloe rode with Stacie and Aubrey to the reception.

"Wow, they went all out," Stacie said when they walked into the reception hall.

"It looks great," Aubrey said. She saw a table with name cards. "Oh, we have assigned tables."

Arriving guests found their tables and chatted while waiting for the wedding party to arrive. Chloe stood at Aubrey's table talking while she waited for Beca. Beca had insisted that Chloe be allowed to sit at the bride's table with her and she didn't want to be sitting by herself.

The bridal party arrived and were introduced as they walked in. Beca immediately went over to Chloe.

"You look lovely, Becs," Ben Mitchell told his daughter.

"Chloe was right," Carol said with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You look hot."

Beca and Chloe blushed, and everyone laughed. Beca saw Melissa waving her over to their table.

"I guess that's our cue to leave," Beca said taking Chloe's hand. "We'll see you later."

Beca led Chloe toward their table and leaned in to whisper, "I think you look hot, too."

Chloe smiled and kissed Beca on the cheek. "Thank you."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

The reception was winding down, and Melissa and Alex were a bit drunk. Ben and Carol helped get the new brides into Beca's car. Aubrey and Ben used their vehicles to transport the gifts to Melissa and Alex's house. Between Beca and Ben they got Melissa and Alex to bed.

"Finally," Beca said as she and her dad walked downstairs where Chloe, Carol, Aubrey, and Stacie were waiting.

"Thanks for the help guys," Beca told everyone. "I am not looking forward to being up at six o'clock tomorrow to take them to the airport."

"Do you want me to stay to help?," Chloe asked.

"No, thanks," Beca said. "Your folks are expecting you for some family time since they haven't seen much of you this weekend. I'll be fine."

"Come on, Chlo," Aubrey said. "I'll drop you at your house."

"We expect to see you sometime during the week, Beca," Ben said. "You two should come for dinner one night."

"We will," Beca said. "I promise."

"We're going to go," Carol said. "We'll see you girls later."

Beca gave her dad and Carol a quick hug and told them to be careful.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Becs," Chloe said as she wrapped her arms around the brunette. She kissed Beca and Beca kissed her back. "I'll be over in time for us to have dinner together."

"Okay," Beca said and gave her another quick kiss. "Thanks again for the help, Brey. You too, Stacie. Hey, you guys should come here for dinner one night."

"Sounds like fun," Aubrey said.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca's alarm went off at six the next morning, and she begrudgingly woke up. She went into her mother's room to find her and Alex wrapped up in each other's arms. She smiled because Alex is shorter than her mom, but she was the big spoon, much like Beca and Chloe.

It takes some doing but she manages to get the two newlyweds up and in the shower. She hurries to get dressed and goes down to the kitchen to make coffee. She sits and waits thinking ahead to the week she's going to have with Chloe. They've spent the night with each other a number of times, but this will be the first time they've actually lived together.

Beca somehow manages to get her mother and Alex in the car and they are on the way to the airport. Once they arrive, she gets out of the car to help them with their luggage.

"Okay," Melissa said. "It's okay if you want to have friends over, just no big parties. We left you some cash in an envelope in my top desk drawer. You can use it for whatever you need. Don't forget to bring the mail in every day. That's all I can think of. Alex, do you have anything?"

"I think you've covered it all, babe," Alex said.

"I got it, mom," Beca said with a smile.

"Oh, I made a few dinners for you and Chloe," Alex said. "They're in the freezer. Please eat them and don't order out every day."

"Got it, _mom_ ," Beca said with a cheeky grin.

"Shut it, smartass," Alex said grinning at Beca and pulling her into a hug.

"Take care of my mom," Beca said pulling out of the hug.

"Don't worry," Alex said with a mischievous glint in her eye. "She will be well taken care of." Alex gives Beca a salacious wink.

"Ew, gross," Beca said. "So not what I meant."

Melissa laughed at the two and grabbed Beca in a hug. "I love you, Becs. Have fun and we'll see you next weekend."

"Love you, too, mom," Beca said. "You'd better get going. You still need to get through security."

More hugs and I love yous followed before Alex and Melissa entered the terminal. Beca got in her car with a smile on her face, ready to spend the week with Chloe.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca opened the door to find Chloe standing there with her suitcase. "Hey, babe," Beca said and gave Chloe a quick kiss. "Let me take that." She grabbed Chloe's bag and ushered the girl inside.

"Mmmm," Chloe said. "Something smells good."

"We're having lasagna," Beca said. "Alex made us some dinners so I thought I'd just heat one of them up for tonight."

"Sounds good," Chloe said. "Can I help with anything?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "I was making a salad. Can you finish that while I take your suitcase upstairs? Dinner should be almost ready."

"On it," Chloe said. "Oh, Becs?"

Beca had started toward the stairs and stopped to look at Chloe. "Yeah?"

Chloe walks over to her and puts her arms around Beca's shoulders. She leans in and gives Beca a sweet, loving kiss. She then smiles and turns and heads into the kitchen leaving Beca standing there with a dopey grin on her face.

"This is going to be a fun week," Beca mumbles as she turns to head up the stairs.


	16. Chapter 16

**Zap's note:** **"We moved up the date of the Trolls premiere so it could be the movie they saw."**

* * *

After dinner, the two spent Monday night cuddling on the couch watching TV. Beca had texted back and forth with her father a little bit, and they agreed she and Chloe would have dinner with him and Carol, and Aubrey and Stacie, on Wednesday night. They decided to head to bed after the end of _The Late Show with Stephen Colbert_ , though they didn't go to sleep immediately.

Tuesday morning they slept in, actually skipping morning altogether and not waking up till shortly after noon. Beca was the first to wake. She was surprised to find herself in Chloe's arms as the little spoon for a change and not the other way around. She relished the feeling, cuddling into Chloe, trying to take care not to wake the redhead. Her efforts proved to be unsuccessful, however, as she felt the redhead stir and a sleepy murmur come from her lips.

"Good morning, beautiful," Beca said, giving in and turning to face her girlfriend.

"Morning, babe," Chloe replied, kissing the brunette. "Although I think good afternoon is more appropriate."

"Maybe, but it just feels weird to say. It's morning somewhere," Beca said.

"True enough," The redhead conceded. "What do you want to do today? We could always stay in bed..."

"We could, and that does sound tempting," Beca acknowledged. "But, don't you think we should probably go out into the world. Is there anything you want to do? Anything at all you want, I'm down."

"I thought maybe we could see _Trolls,_ " Chloe suggested. "I know you don't like movies, but I thought since it's got music, and you love music, and you love me, you might make an exception."

"I said anything you wanted to do was fine with me," Beca acquiesced. "Maybe after we could go out to dinner. My mom loves that seafood place, the _Lakeside Grill._ Have you ever been?"

"I haven't," Chloe said as she shook her head. "But I have heard good things about it. Sounds like the perfect date night."

"Sounds like we have a plan then," Beca said, pulling up movie times on her phone. Once they found the perfect showing at the closest theater to the restaurant, they made a reservation for after the movie. With a predatory grin, Beca cuddled closer to Chloe. "Ok, now that that's all settled, we have some time to kill."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

"That movie was super cute. Thank you for agreeing to go with me," Chloe gushed once they were seated at their table at the restaurant.

"It's far from the worst movie I've seen," Beca said with a shrug as she perused the menu. "The music was good."

"What was the worst movie you've seen?," Chloe asked, looking over the menu.

"That's easy," Beca said looking up at her girlfriend. "Jesse forced me to watch this stupid movie called _Freddy Got Fingered_. Like, I don't even know why I let him. I think part of it was I was feeling a little guilty because this was right around the time I was coming out, and he had asked me out, and I had to tell him it was never going to happen. He's a good guy, and I wanted to stay friends with him, so I did all I could to help him get over it. I trusted him because he showed me that movie _Groundhog Day._ It wasn't that bad even if it was predictable. And then he just randomly picked out _Freddy Got Fingered_. Why he has it I don't even know, but it was just so bizarre, and not in a good way. Like, if it were avant-garde, I could understand. It was just bad."

"You know, that's one of the things I like about you," Chloe said and smiled at Beca. She reached out and took Beca's hand. "You're a good friend. That makes you a good person."

"If you could tell Alex's bible thumping parents that...actually it wouldn't matter. They'd still hate me, Alex, mom, and you for liking girls," Beca said. "I'm just glad our parents aren't like that."

"Yeah, we lucked out," Chloe agreed. She was interrupted by their waitress coming to take their orders. After the waitress left, she continued, "I was thinking I'd go shopping tomorrow to find something nice to wear to dinner with your dad and Carol. Do you want to go with me?"

"You know we don't have to dress up to go to my parents for dinner," Beca said. "Wear something you already have."

"I need some warmer shirts," Chloe said. "Besides, you'll get to see me trying them on."

"That means we'll have to get up early," Beca said. "We have to be at dinner around six o'clock and the way you shop we'll miss it completely."

"What if we plan to have a late breakfast," Chloe suggested. "And then shop for no more than two hours. That will give us time to get back to your mom's house and change before going to your house for dinner."

"You know I can't say no to you," Beca said with a sigh.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

The next morning Beca woke to an empty bed. She sat up and looked around before getting up and going into the bathroom. She decided to shower and dress before she went looking for Chloe.

Chloe was sitting at the kitchen counter, coffee cup in hand when Beca walked in. Beca grabbed the cup and took a big drink before setting it on the counter and kissing Chloe.

"You know waking up without you this morning made me realize that we'll soon be going back to the real world and I won't get to see you every day," Beca said as she sat next to Chloe.

"I know," Chloe said sadly. "But, we'll still have Tuesday at the diner, our regular Saturday night dates, and sleepovers whenever we can."

"Yeah, I guess," Beca said.

"Don't be all mopey," Chloe said and kissed Beca on the cheek. "I believe we have some shopping to do."

"You mean, _you_ have some shopping to do," Beca said. "I'm just going for the breakfast."

"And to watch me try on shirts," Chloe said with a smirk.

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca and Chloe were walking into Victoria's Secret when Beca took Chloe's arm to stop her.

"Um, babe," Beca said when Chloe was facing her. "I don't think whatever top you find here would be appropriate to wear to my dad's for dinner."

"Haha," Chloe said. "I need something to wear under my new shirts. Now, quit fooling around and let's go. This is the last store. I promise."

Beca sighed and followed Chloe inside. Chloe went to look at bras, and Beca stood near the entrance. She turned when she heard her name being called.

"Hey, Stacie," Beca said seeing the taller brunette.

"Hey, Beca," Stacie said. "What are you doing here?"

"Just shopping with the Mrs.," Beca said with a laugh as she pointed to Chloe.

"Hey, Chlo," Stacie called out to the redhead. Chloe waved at her and walked over to where she was standing with Beca.

"Are you here by yourself?," Chloe asked as she hugged Stacie.

"No," Stacie said. "Brey's in the changing room. You should probably go and see her. She's been whining all week about Beca taking up all your time."

"She knew Beca and I planned to be together this week," Chloe said with a frown.

"I know," Stacie said. "But she said that you two always spent Fall Break together and she misses you."

"That's too bad," Beca said. "She's had twelve years of spending all the time with Chloe. I've only been with her for like three months. I think she can handle one week of not being chained at the hip. Plus, we'll be seeing her tonight at dinner."

"Please, Chloe?," Stacie said. "Just go say hi."

"Alright," Chloe said. "I'll be right back." She leaned in and kissed Beca on the cheek. "Just a few minutes, okay?"

Beca nodded, and Chloe turned toward the dressing rooms. She was just at the entrance when Aubrey stepped out. A big smile came to her face.

"Chloe!," Aubrey all but squealed.

"Hey, Brey," Chloe said. "I was just coming to find you."

"I've missed you," Aubrey said and hugged Chloe. "How is everything?"

"I've missed you, too," Chloe said. "And everything has been fine. Great, actually. Beca and I have been having a wonderful time together. I can't tell you how much she means to me."

"Oh, yeah, Beca," Aubrey said snidely. "Where is the little hobbit?"

"Brey," Chloe said. She runs a hand through her hair and shakes her head. "She's up front with Stacie, waiting for me. We need to go so we can change before we come to dinner."

Chloe started walking to toward where she left Beca. Aubrey walked by her side.

"Can we do something?," Aubrey asked. "Just us? Maybe tomorrow or Friday?"

"Beca got us tickets to the Atlanta Aquarium tomorrow," Chloe said. "And then on Friday night, Luke is DJing at this under twenty-one club and we're going to go hear him play."

"Hey, Brey," Beca said with a smile.

"Come on, Stacie," Aubrey said, ignoring Beca. "We need to go get ready for dinner. We'll see you guys there."

Aubrey dragged Stacie away before anyone could say anything.

"Rude," Beca mumbled.

"Come on," Chloe said and linked her arms with Beca's. "I need to decide which new shirt I'm going to wear."

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca hugged her dad and Carol. "Glad you could make it," Ben said. "Good to see you, Chloe."

"Thank you," Chloe said as she hugged Beca's father.

"Hey, Stacie," Chloe said seeing her standing behind Carol. "Where's Brey?"

"She's upstairs," Stacie said. "I was just going to go up and get her since dinner was almost ready."

"I'll go," Beca said. "I need to get something out of my room anyway."

Chloe asked Carol if she needed any help as Beca left the kitchen to go upstairs. Beca went to her room and grabbed the outfit she wanted to wear to the club on Friday and put it in a bag. She then went to Aubrey's door and knocked lightly. She heard Aubrey say "come in" and entered the room.

"Hey, Brey," Beca said. "Carol said dinner's just about ready."

"I'm surprised you let Chloe out of your sight for more than five minutes," Aubrey snarked.

"Brey, don't start," Beca said.

"What?," Aubrey said with a shrug. "I was just joking."

"Why do you do this?," Beca asked. "I haven't done anything to you, and you're being really mean for no reason."

"Haven't done anything to me?," Aubrey asked incredulously. "You stole my best friend from me."

"I didn't steal her from you," Beca said getting angry. "She told you we were spending the entire week together and you never said a word about the two of you doing anything, so I made plans for us. Chloe thought you were going to use this time to spend with Stacie."

"Unlike Chloe, I'm not so obsessed with my girlfriend that I can't find time to spend with my best friend," Aubrey snapped at Beca.

"You're acting childish," Beca snapped back, standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Doesn't mean I'm not right," Aubrey said. "All you do is think about yourself and what you want."

"I was going to surprise Chloe and invite you and Stacie to join us at the Aquarium tomorrow and the club on Friday night," Beca said. "But, seeing as how I only think about myself, you can forget it."

Beca didn't want to hear anything Aubrey had to say and left the room. She didn't stop and continued until she was out of the house. Beca stood on the porch steps taking deep breaths. She can't seem to win with Aubrey.

After a few minutes, Aubrey went downstairs, expecting to get an earful from Chloe. She was surprised when Chloe looked at her and smiled.

"Hey, Brey," Chloe said. She looked behind Aubrey and asked, "Where's Beca?"

"She's not down here?," Aubrey asked.

"No," Carol said. "Maybe she's still in her room. She did say she needed to get something."

"I'll get her," Chloe volunteered. She left the kitchen and Aubrey sat at the table next to Stacie.

"Everything looks and smells delicious," Stacie said as Ben and Carol placed the food on the table.

"Thanks," Ben said. "Carol and I love to cook together."

Ben and Carol had just sat down when Chloe came back into the kitchen.

"Beca's not up there," Chloe said.

"What do you mean she's not up there?," Ben asked and stood up.

"Her room is empty," Chloe said looking worried.

"Aubrey, did you see Beca?," Stacie asked.

"Yeah," Aubrey said looking down at the table. "She told me dinner was almost ready and left my room."

"This is weird," Ben said. He went upstairs and checked every room. He came back down and went outside. He let out a heavy sigh and went back inside. "Her car is gone."

"What?," Chloe asked, confused. She saw a guilty look wash over Aubrey's face. "Brey, what did you do?"

 **~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~**

Beca knew she couldn't go back inside and face Aubrey quite yet. She knew they would start yelling if she did and she didn't want to cause an argument between Aubrey and Chloe. Beca decided instead to get in her car and drive around for a bit. She was only gone a couple of minutes when she thought she should at least text Chloe but then realized she left her phone in her room.

Beca continued to drive and found herself near _Alex's Diner_. She pulled into the parking lot and was going to go in and get something to eat when she thought about her dad and Carol. This dinner was for them and she shouldn't let whatever was going on with her and Aubrey ruin it.

Beca drove back out of the parking lot and back home. As soon as she turned the car off Chloe was running out of the house toward her. She got out of the car and Chloe grabbed her in a hug.

"Are you okay?," she whispered into Beca's hair.

"Yeah," Beca responded. "I'm sorry. I just needed to get away and calm myself down. I was going to text you that I'd be back, but I left my phone in my room."

"Aubrey told us what she said," Chloe said. "You should have come to me."

"I didn't want to cause an argument between you two," Beca said.

"Beca," Ben called from the door. "Both of you come inside so we can eat."

"Come on, Chlo," Beca said and took her hand.

They walked in and Beca apologized for running off. She sat next to Chloe and everyone started passing around the food. Beca wouldn't look at Aubrey and Aubrey cleared her throat to get her attention.

"Beca-"

"Save it, Aubrey," Beca said finally looking at the girl. "You have nothing to say that I want to hear."

Aubrey nodded her head and looked around at everyone. "I'm sorry," she said to everyone and looked down at her plate. Stacie took her hand under the table and squeezed it. Aubrey gave her a small, grateful smile.

After a quiet and somewhat awkward dinner, Beca asked her dad if she could speak to him before she and Chloe left. Ben agreed and they excused themselves to go to Ben's office.

"I can't believe you, Brey," Chloe said as soon as she heard the door to Ben's office close. "Beca has done nothing but try and be a sister to you."

"I tried to apologize," Aubrey said. "She wouldn't let me."

"What's going on with you, Aubrey?," Carol asked her daughter. "Chloe's had other girlfriends and boyfriends, and you've never been jealous of them."

"I am not jealous of Beca," Aubrey said with a huff.

"Yeah, you are, babe," Stacie said.

Aubrey just crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the three women.

"What's going on, Beca?," Ben asked once they were alone.

"I, um, think I'm going to stay with mom for a while," Beca said. "I have my car so I can get to school on my own. I just think it's best if I'm not around Aubrey for a while."


	17. Chapter 17

On Sunday, Beca was sitting with Chloe in her bedroom before she went to the airport to pick up her mom and Alex.

"Don't let Aubrey get you down, babe," Chloe told Beca as they sat on her bed. "She'll realize she messed up and apologize."

"I don't want her apologies," Beca said with a furrowed brow. "I want her to stop treating me like I'm her enemy. Things seem to be going well with us and I get sucked into thinking everything's going to work out. And then she goes all psycho and I'm the one who ends up hurt. I don't get it."

"She's used to being an only child," Chloe said. "She hasn't had to share anything or anyone for seventeen years. It's all new to her. Plus, she had to move to a new home, go to a new school. It's just been a lot for her."

"I've been an only child for almost seventeen years," Beca said. "And I've been more than willing to share my things with her. Hell, I introduced her to all my friends and helped her get a girlfriend. I talked her dad into coming to her birthday party and buying her a car. I've tried to make everything better for her and she keeps treating me like a wicked stepsister. I'm done. I'm just going to stay with my mom and Alex for a while. If I can figure out a way to stay at Barden High I might even see if living with them can be a permanent move. Then Aubrey can be an only child again."

"As much as I'd love to have you close by," Chloe said. "I don't think moving is the best thing to do. Just don't make any decision without talking it through with your mom and your dad. Okay?"

"Okay," Beca said. "I have to go. I need to get to the airport. I love you, you know."

"I love you, too," Chloe said. "Please don't give up on Aubrey. She's still my best friend and that's not going to change no matter what happens between you two."

"I wouldn't ask you to choose between us," Beca said. "You know that, right?"

"I know," Chloe said.

"But, I also don't think I can hang out with you _**and**_ her together for a while," Beca said. "So when you make plans with her, don't include me."

Chloe let out a sigh. "I'll agree to that for now," she said. "But, Stacie is in the equation, too. We always liked when we double dated."

"We can still do that," Beca said. "But, not for a while. I'll talk to Stacie about it tomorrow."

Beca leaned in and kissed Chloe. She pulled back as Chloe's phone started to ring. Chloe looked at the caller ID and frowned.

"It's Aubrey isn't it?," Beca asked and Chloe nodded. "Answer it. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe said and Beca kissed her before she left the redhead.

"You'd better be calling to apologize," Chloe said as she answered the call.

Chloe could hear Aubrey sigh. "Chlo."

"Don't _Chlo_ , me," Chloe said. "It's been four days since I last saw or spoke to you. You were wrong and you've put me in the middle of whatever problem you have with Beca."

"She's monopolizing all your time," Aubrey said frustrated. "I'm sorry I got upset because I wanted to spend time with my best friend."

"Don't get snarky with me," Chloe said. "I told you weeks ago that Beca and I were going to be spending the week at her mom's during Fall Break. You never once asked about doing something with me. You can't blame us for not changing our plans because you suddenly remembered that I was here."

"I didn't suddenly remember," Aubrey said. "But we always spend Fall Break together. I assumed that we still would do something."

"Then you should have said something when you knew I was going to be with Beca," Chloe said. She gave a heavy sigh. "We both have girlfriends now. I love Beca and I want to spend as much time as I can with her. You get to see Stacie every day so you don't know what it's like. I like to do things spontaneously and we can't. We have to plan every minute we can be together. I'm sorry if that means you and I don't spend as much time together as we used to. Once we're in Barden, I'll see her less but I'll see you every day. I'm scared that she'll find someone else because I'm not here."

"I'm sorry, Chlo," Aubrey said. "I never thought of that. But you don't need to worry. Beca loves you and even though we'll be living on campus, Barden is just on the other side of town. We can come home almost every weekend to see our girls."

"I guess you're right," Chloe said. "Brey, you know I love you, right? And I'll always be here for you."

"I know," Aubrey said.

"And so will Beca," Chloe continued. "She really does think of you as a sister and she's hurt by the way you've been hot and cold with her."

"I know," Aubrey said. "Stacie's already yelled at me about it. Plus, Ben is moping around because Beca asked to stay with her mom for a while because of me. He's been better to me than my own dad and I've driven his daughter out of his house."

Chloe could hear Aubrey sniffle. "You can fix it you know."

"I don't even know where to start," Aubrey said. "I've been such a bitch to her."

"An apology would be a great start," Chloe said. "And make it sincere."

"I will apologize," Aubrey said. "I'll do it tomorrow at school."

"Good," Chloe said and settled back on her bed. "Now tell me everything you and Stacie did during the break."

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

"And that's why I want to stay with you for a little while," Beca told her mother as she drove the newlyweds home.

"I'm sure things will work out, honey," Melissa said. "And you know you can stay for as long as you need to. Alex and I love having you around."

Alex remained quiet so Beca looked at her in the rearview mirror; she raised an eyebrow in question when she caught Alex's eye.

"You're mother's right, Becs," Alex said. "You can stay as long as you need to. But, I do hope you try and patch things up with Aubrey. She must mean something to you if this is bothering you so much."

"She does," Beca said. "I really think of her as a sister and I thought she felt the same way. I'll try and talk to her tomorrow at school. Maybe I'll be back home before you two scar me for life with all your married couple crap."

"I guess that means no sex in the kitchen for a while," Alex said with a smirk and laughed at the horrified look on Beca's face.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca had to wake up early on Monday morning to get to school on time. She groaned as she shut off her alarm and got up to shower and get dressed. Alex was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when Beca walked in.

"Do you want some breakfast?," Alex asked.

"I'd love some but don't have time," Beca replied grabbing a cup of coffee. "Thanks anyway."

"Will you be here for dinner?," Alex asked.

"Yes," Beca said. "Even if I talk to Aubrey and we settle things I'll have to get my stuff so I'll be coming here tonight."

"Good," Alex said. "You better get on the road before you're late. We'll see you tonight."

Beca left and drove to school. She parked and sat in her car for a few minutes. She wanted to talk to Aubrey and knew they wouldn't really be able to talk during classes, so she sent Aubrey a text asking if they could talk at lunch. She got out of her car and headed into school.

"Beca, Beca," Jesse called out to her as soon as she walked in the door. "How was your week?"

"Fine," Beca said as she and Jesse started walking toward their lockers. "Chloe and I had a lot of fun. How about you?"

"I was at my uncle's in Florida the whole week," Jesse responded. "So, major fun."

"Did I hear you say you spent the week in Florida?," Stacie asked as she caught up to her two friends.

"Yep," Jesse said with a big smile. "And I got properly laid."

"Oh, my God, Jesse," Beca said. "You're no longer a virgin!"

"Hey, I've had sex before," Jesse exclaimed.

"Your left hand doesn't count," Beca laughed.

"I use my right," Jesse deadpanned as he put his right hand on Beca's shoulder.

"Ew, gross," Beca said pulling away from him.

Stacie and Jesse laughed and Beca glared at both of them.

"Hey, guys," Aubrey said hesitantly. "Good to see you, Jesse."

"Good to see you, Aubrey," Jesse said.

Aubrey stood there shuffling her feet back and forth. Beca stood looking down at the ground only glancing up every so often. Jesse looked between the two, figuring with the tension something happened between the two girls.

"Um, I need to get to class," Jesse said and just walked away yelling back he'd see them at lunch.

"I got your text," Aubrey said looking at Beca. "I'm free to talk at lunch."

"Okay," Beca said.

Stacie smiled and hugged Aubrey. "We'll see you later, Becs," Stacie said as she pulled Aubrey along with her to her locker.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Aubrey wasn't paying attention in her second period class. She saw Beca walk in and her mind became focused on her talk with Beca. She had spent countless hours over the past few days trying to figure out why she was so upset with Beca. She knew Chloe was right and had some very valid points about how much Beca has done to make her feel like a sister. And, honestly, she did think of Beca as a sister, so where is the hostility coming from?

The bell rang and Aubrey got up to head to her next class. She has no memory of getting to her class but she sat in her usual seat and her mind wandered again. Chloe has been her best friend since the day they first met in Kindergarten. Chloe's had boyfriends and girlfriends before and she never felt like this towards them. But, then again Chloe's never fallen this hard for someone. She could actually see Chloe becoming her sister-in-law. Aubrey smiled at the thought.

Aubrey sat straight in her chair. "Oh, my God," Aubrey thought. "I'm not jealous that my best friend is spending so much time with Beca. I'm jealous that my _sister_ is spending so much time with Chloe." Aubrey sat with her mouth agape. Beca _is_ my sister.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

After Aubrey's self-revelation, she couldn't wait to talk to Beca. She hurried to the cafeteria at lunch and looked around for Beca and their friends.

"Hey, babe," Stacie said coming up behind her. She kissed Aubrey and smiled. "Looking for Beca?"

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "We're supposed to talk at lunch."

"Come on," Stacie said grabbing Aubrey's hand. "She'll be here. Let's go sit."

The couple made their way to their usual table, and soon Jesse and Emily joined them, followed by CR and Denise, and Jessica and Ashley.

"Has anyone seen Beca?," Aubrey asked.

"I saw her talking to the Vice Principal a few minutes ago," Jessica said.

"Uh-oh," Jesse said. "I hope she's not in trouble."

"Remember that time when she argued with Mrs. Brooks for the entire class period?," Ashley asked. "She got sent to the office and spent the next hour in the Vice Principal's office arguing with him. When we asked her why she said her next class was boring and she didn't feel like going. She argued with Mrs. Brooks so she would be sent to the office and had a good excuse for missing the class."

"Oh, my God," Stacie said with a laugh.

"What's up losers," Beca's voice says as she walks up to the table.

"Well, she's smiling, so I guess it wasn't anything too bad," Denise said.

"What did Mr. Smith want with you?," CR asked.

"I made the mistake of speaking to him when I saw him in the hallway," Beca replied. "Then he kept asking questions about my break and was interested in my mom's wedding. It was weird." Beca looked at Aubrey. "Um, Aubrey can we talk now?"

"Sure," Aubrey said and stood. "Excuse us, guys."

Beca and Aubrey walked to an empty table and sat down.

"What's going on there?," Emily asked.

Stacie told them what had happened between Beca and Aubrey.

"You're my sister," Aubrey blurted out.

"What?," Beca asked, confused.

"You _are_ my sister," Aubrey repeated. "I wasn't upset that you were monopolizing Chloe's time, I was jealous that Chloe was monopolizing yours. I wanted to spend more time with you outside of school. I, ugh, this is hard to explain."

"Take your time," Beca said. "I'm curious to see where this is going."

Aubrey took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay," she said. "I realize that I see you as my sister. Not step-sister, or just as a friend. You have done everything to make me welcome at home and at school. I didn't want to like you at all-"

Beca snorted. "You made that obvious from the beginning."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Aubrey said. "I guess it was like being the only child and suddenly your parents come through the door with a sibling and you're not so special anymore. But, I realize that since you've been around, I am more comfortable being me. Does any of this make sense?"

"Sort of," Beca said. "But, I don't understand why you took it out on me."

"You were kind of collateral damage," Aubrey said. "Like I said I was jealous and upset that Chloe was taking up most of your time. But, since she's my best friend I turned it around and took it out on you."

"I'm still confused by all this," Beca said. "But, I get some of what you're saying. I mean, look at me, what's not to be jealous of?" Beca smirked, and Aubrey laughed.

"Oh, my God," Aubrey said. "Of course that's what you took from this."

"So, are we good again?," Beca asked seriously. "I can't take this hot and cold Aubrey."

"I'm sorry again," Aubrey said. "Now that I figured out what I was feeling, I think it will get better. Would you be open to planning some real sister time? Do something, just the two of us?"

"I'd like that," Beca said and smiled. The two stood and headed back to their friends. "Do you want to go to the aquarium? I was going to invite you to go with Chloe and me over the break, but then you and I were at odds. Chloe told me you really like the aquarium and I don't mind going again."

"I do love the aquarium," Aubrey said as they reached the table.

"Ooo, who's going to the aquarium?," Stacie asked. "I love the aquarium."

"Sorry," Aubrey said. "This is a sisters only thing."

Beca just smiled as they sat down to spend the rest of their lunch with their friends.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Aubrey called Chloe to tell her all about her conversation with Beca and Chloe was happy they made up. Aubrey apologized to Chloe for being such a bitch.

"I knew you were jealous," Chloe said, her voice smug. "I just didn't know you were jealous of me spending time with Beca. That's so cute."

"It is not cute," Aubrey said. "It's embarrassing. I had a hard time explaining what I was feeling to Beca. I'm still not sure I explained it very well."

"I get it," Chloe said. "Sibling rivalries are normal. This probably won't be the last time you two are at odds with each other. It's what sisters do."

"Thanks for the insight, _only child_ ," Aubrey said with a laugh. "I'd better go. I'm sure Beca will be calling to talk to you about this. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Bye, Brey."


	18. Chapter 18

After Beca and Aubrey's discussion, things went back to a sense of normality. That same afternoon, Beca went to her mom and Alex's to get her things and spend one more night with them. They were both sorry to see her go. Beca decided to leave a few things at their house so she could be more flexible with where she stayed, figuring it would have the added benefit of being closer to Chloe.

Beca was relieved to be back at her dad's after patching things up with Aubrey. The last home game of the season was rapidly coming up, and Gail had set up a practice schedule over the next two weeks to fine-tune the performances Beca, Aubrey, and Jesse would be giving. It was much easier on Beca to just go to her father's after their practice than to spend the extra time driving back and forth to her mother's.

The whole school was in high spirits that week. Barden's football team was undefeated going into the final two games of their season. Friday night was an away game for Barden, so Beca went to Crestfield's home game against Jackson High. It also happened to be Crestfield's Senior Night. Beca wouldn't have minded so much since Chloe was a senior and was one of the ones being honored, but practically the entire starting lineup on Offense was comprised of seniors. They not only introduced each senior player, they also gave a brief bio of their stats and where they were going to college. It was boring and Beca didn't have Chloe or her parents to keep her occupied.

Crestfield dominated the entire game and won quite handily. As bored as Beca was, she was glad she didn't go to Barden's game. She got a text from Aubrey that Barden lost due to some penalties most everyone agreed shouldn't have been called. Aubrey's text also said the officiating sucked the entire game and it was like the officials were out to get Barden.

Barden's loss and Crestfield's win meant going into the final week of the regular season with the teams both holding an 8-1 record. The outcomes of their final games would determine if there would be a Barden versus Crestfield rematch to determine the conference champion.

"I still can't believe Barden lost last night," Aubrey said, clearly in a funk as Beca drove them to the Atlanta Aquarium.

"Just think, a year ago you'd have been happy if Barden lost," Beca teased as she drove. "Funny how things work isn't it? If we were straight, our parents wouldn't have met, you'd still be at Crestfield with Chloe and dating some meathead jock, and you'd have both been happy that Barden lost."

"Okay, us straight? Really?" Aubrey shuddered at the thought. "I may not be as out as you, but I just can't picture either of us liking boys."

"As out as me?," Beca questioned. "Sister dear, you're singing a song called _I Saw Her Standing There_ in the middle of the football field on a night that's sure to be packed. You're as out as you can get."

"You have a point," Aubrey concedes. "I just hid it for so long. Did you know that it was Chloe that caused me to come out?"

"I didn't," Beca said. "Sounds like quite a story; tell me about it."

"There's not a lot to it actually," Aubrey said and shrugged as she stared out the window. "This boy Jake kept pestering me to go out with him. I told him I wasn't interested, but he kept it up. Then people started putting together that I kept saying no and spent most of my time with Chloe. Of course, rumors spread. He asked me out one more time at lunch, in front of everyone, and when I said no, he was all ' _So you are going out with the redhead aren't you_?', to which Chloe replied ' _So what if she was?_ '. I was mortified. He said, ' _So, it's true. You are a couple of lesbos._ ' Chloe said, ' _No, I'm bisexual, and, no we're not going out. But it doesn't matter because she said no._ ' So, in typical hetero-boy fashion, he said, ' _Whatever. There are other girls, and you're not that hot anyway._ ' and walked away. That night, Chloe apologized and convinced me to officially come out because she had essentially outed me anyway, and the rest is history."

"The guys that go to Crestfield are a bunch of douches," Beca said shaking her head. "I mean, Barden has a bunch of them, too, but they also have our backs."

"True," Aubrey said. "I don't know any of the guys at Crestfield who would have done what Bumper, Tom, and Chicago did for us."

Beca didn't say anything. She found a place to park, and the two girls got out and walked toward the Aquarium entrance.

"Do you want to see the dolphin show?," Beca said. "I didn't get tickets, but we can get them inside."

"I'd like to see them," Aubrey said. "They are amazing animals and one of my favorites."

Beca and Aubrey spent the next several hours at the Aquarium. They stopped at the gift shop on their way out and picked up a couple of stuffed dolphins for Chloe and Stacie.

"I figure since we're meeting later at Alex's for a late dinner, we should bring them something," Beca said. "Plus, I feel a little bit guilty for ditching them all day for our sisters' outing. I only get to see Chloe on Tuesday nights and weekends."

"I'm sorry, Beca," Aubrey said.

"No, no, I'm not complaining," Beca said. "I've enjoyed our time together. I just really miss Chloe."

"Wow," Aubrey said. "You have it worse for her than I thought. I have an idea. Let's call the girls and have them meet us at Alex's now. We can eat and then do a movie double date with them."

"But, we were going to go see a movie _before_ we met up with them," Beca said.

"I know you only agreed to a movie because that's what I wanted to do," Aubrey said with a grin. "If we invite the girls, we still get to spend some sister time, but we also get to make out with our girlfriends in a dark theater."

"I'm in," Beca says and pulls out her phone.

Aubrey calls Stacie while Beca is talking to Chloe. They give each other a thumbs up and finish their calls.

"Stacie's going to meet us at the diner in an hour," Aubrey said.

"I told Chloe we'd pick her up on our way," Beca said. "Let's go."

The two 'sisters' left the Aquarium and headed toward Alex's diner. Beca picked up Chloe on the way and they met Stacie at the diner.

Once they arrived, Beca parked the car and the girls got out. Beca grabbed Chloe and pulled her into a kiss.

"Sorry, not sorry," Beca said. "I've just really missed you."

"I miss you, too," Chloe said. "We didn't get to spend too much time together last night."

"Come on," Beca said and kissed Chloe again. "We should get inside."

Beca and Chloe went into the diner and sat across from Stacie and Aubrey. Melissa came from the kitchen and walked over to the table.

"How are my favorite girls?," Melissa asked.

The girls said they were fine and Melissa looked at Beca. "I'm fine, too, mom," Beca said with a laugh.

"Good," Melissa said. "What are you girls having tonight?"

The girls gave their orders and Melissa went back to the kitchen.

"So, how was Senior Night, Chlo?," Aubrey asked.

"It was good," Chloe said. "Especially since we won the game."

"Glad Crestfield had a good night," Stacie said. "The officials for our game were terrible."

"But it was all one-sided," Aubrey said. "All the bad calls were made against Barden. It felt like they were out to get us or something."

"Well, we're 8 and 1 now," Chloe said with a smile. "When we win on Friday we will have the best record in the conference and will go to the State playoffs."

"Don't count on it," Beca said. "When Barden wins their last game they will have the best record in the conference."

"Yeah, and if they both win," Stacie said. "We'll have to have a playoff to see who wins the conference."

"Why?," Beca asked. "Barden already beat Crestfield. We should be conference champs."

"That's not how it works," Aubrey said. "If Barden and Crestfied both end up with 9 and 1 records, the slate is wiped clean and they will have to go head-to-head. If we do that, Barden will get the home-field advantage since we beat Crestfield earlier in the season."

"As long as they don't have the same officials as Friday night," Beca said. "I'm not worried. Barden will come out on top again."

"Wanna bet?," Chloe asked with a smirk.

"Wanna lose again?," Beca asked with her own smirk in place.

"I'm confident that if Barden and Crestfield have to play again," Chloe said, "Crestfield will come out on top."

"And, I'm confident that Barden will come out on top," Beca said.

"I want in on this bet," Stacie said.

"Me, too," Aubrey said.

"Three against one?," Chloe asked and laughed. "I'm not worried. I'll just have to make sure that I make a bet that will have all three of you suffering."

The three Barden girls laughed and looked at each other.

"Let's take the week to think about what we want to bet," Beca said. "Then we'll meet back here next Saturday and make our wagers."

"You're on," Chloe said.

The girls continued chatting and it wasn't long before Melissa was bringing their food to the table.

"Can I get you girls anything else?," Melissa asked.

"We need refills on drinks," Beca said. "I'll get them."

Beca gathered up the glasses and went behind the counter to the soda machine. Melissa waited until she was at the other end of the counter before turning and looking at Aubrey.

"Is everything better between you and Beca?," Melissa asked.

"Yes, it is," Aubrey said and smiled. "We went to the Aquarium together, just the two of us. We're going to try and do more things together."

"That's good," Melissa said with a smile. "I'm glad. I was really worried when she wanted to move in with me and Alex. I know her dad was miserable just thinking about it."

"I'm really sorry about all that," Aubrey said.

"Beca told me what happened," Melissa said. "I'm glad everything is better between you."

Beca was back and Melissa took two of the glasses from her. She gave them to Stacie and Aubrey before turning to Beca.

"Give your mom a hug," Melissa said. "I have to get home and do some lesson planning."

Beca hugged her mom. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Melissa said. "I'll see you girls later."

"I'm going to walk my mom out," Beca told the girls. "I'll be right back."

Melissa and Beca left. Beca came back in a few minutes later and sat down next to Chloe. She was carrying the two stuffed dolphins she and Aubrey had bought for their girlfriends. She handed one to Aubrey.

"Here," Beca said handing the other to Chloe. "I got this for you from the Aquarium."

"Thanks, babe," Chloe said and kissed Beca.

Aubrey gave Stacie hers and got kissed as well.

"Hey, are we still on for our Tuesday afternoon date?," Beca asked Chloe.

"We'd better be," Chloe said.

Beca leaned in so she could whisper in Chloe's ear. "My mom is going to be working until late here at the diner with Alex on Tuesday. Their house will be empty."

Chloe pulled back to look at Beca with a smile. She leaned in and kissed Beca. "It's definitely a date."

"What movie are we going to go see?," Stacie asked.

"I was thinking we could see either _The Spy Who Dumped Me_ ," Aubrey said. "Or _A Simple Favor_. The first one is a comedy and the other one is some kind of mystery or something."

"Which one would you absolutely not want to miss seeing?," Beca asked Chloe.

"I really want to see _A Simple Favor_ ," Chloe responded.

"We're going to see _The Spy Who Dumped Me_ ," Beca said looking across the table to Aubrey and Stacie.

"Chloe said she wanted to see the other one," Stacie said.

"I know," Beca said and grinned. "She can go see that one with you guys. Tonight we aren't going to be doing a lot of movie watching so she won't care if she misses it."

"I like the way you think, sis," Aubrey said with a smirk. "We're in."

Chloe and Stace both just shook their heads and laughed at their girlfriends. Neither said anything because who were they to deny themselves ninety minutes of making out with their girlfriends.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Monday came and the trending topic around the school was the loss Barden suffered the past Friday night. Everyone was upset about the loss, and the players were sulking, feeling as if they had been robbed of a victory.

"You should have been there, Beca," Jesse said as they were all at lunch talking about the game. "It was painful to watch."

"Yeah," CR said. "Penalty flags were being thrown on just about every down and always against Barden. I hope the Coach filed a complaint against those refs. Barden should have won."

"Not much we can do about it now," Bumper said. "We just have to win Friday night and have Crestfield lose so we can be the Conference Champs."

The table all talked excitedly about that. Bumper looked over at Aubrey.

"Hey, Posen," Bumper said. "If Barden and Crestfield have to play for the Conference title, who are you rooting for?"

"I'll tell you what I told my best friend," Aubrey said. "I'm a Barden girl and will be rooting for them all the way."

"Yeah!," the table cheered.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. After classes were over, Beca, Aubrey, and Jesse were in the music room practicing their songs to sing during halftime at Friday's football game. Stacie was waiting for Aubrey so she got to see and hear how they sounded.

Each finished one run-through and Gail was quite happy with each of their performances. She ran through what was going to happen and told them where they needed to be and when.

"Since Aubrey has to be in her cheer uniform," Beca suggested. "I was thinking I'd wear my Barden hoodie to perform in. We all have one so we can wear them to support our team."

"That's a good idea," Gail said. "You guys okay with that?"

Aubrey and Jesse nodded their heads in agreement. Gail dismissed them and Jesse had to hurry home.

"I'll see you girls later," Beca said and left as well.

Stacie and Aubrey stopped by their lockers before they walked out to Aubrey's car. "Want to get something to eat before I take you home?"

"Why don't you come with me and have dinner at my house?," Stacie asked. "We can do our homework until dinner's ready."

"Sounds good," Aubrey said.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Tuesday was Beca's favorite day of the school week. Gail had canceled their rehearsals until Thursday because she wanted them to rest their voices until it was time for their performances. Beca rushed out of her last class and hurried to the diner. She didn't have to wait long before Chloe showed up. They spent a very enjoyable time together that afternoon. So enjoyable that the smile was still on Beca's face when Friday rolled around.

Of course, everyone was sporting Barden green that Friday and really excited for Barden's last regular game of the season. Tonight was the night Barden High could become Conference Champs.


	19. Chapter 19

Beca, Aubrey, and their friends were in the final class of the day. Gail was nervous since this was the first time that her students would be performing at a Barden game. She knew she had three great performances ready for the fans. Beca, Aubrey, and Jesse were excited, nervous, anxious, happy, excited; every emotion you could think of they went through.

At lunch it had been decided that Ashley, Denise, and CR would attend Crestfield's game and text updates to the rest of the lunch table group. Beca would have asked Chloe for updates but their coach didn't allow them to have their phones on the field.

The bell rang to end the school day and Gail asked her three performers to hang back. She wanted to go over a few things before the game that night and then they were free to go. Stacie had waited for Aubrey since they had planned to have an early dinner together before the game.

"You ready to go?," Stacie asked when Aubrey finally came out of the classroom.

"Yes, I am," Aubrey said. "Although I'm not sure how much I'll be able to eat. I'm really nervous."

"You'll do great, babe," Stacie told her. "If you get nervous, just look at me. Sing to me. Forget everyone else and just sing to me."

"She does that anyway," Beca said with a laugh. "Jesse and I are going to the diner. Did you two want to join us?"

"I'm in if that's okay with you, Brey," Stacie said.

"Yeah, let's do that," Aubrey responded.

The four friends rode in Beca's car since they were all coming back to the school after they ate. Alex came and wished everyone good luck for the night. She said that she and Melissa were coming to Barden's game so they could see the trio perform.

"My mom's coming to Barden's game?," Beca asked. "I thought she'd go to Crestfield's since it's a big game for them."

"Beca," Alex said. "Your mom wants to support you and see you perform. It's not about the football game."

Beca smiled and hugged Alex. "I'll look for you guys before the game."

Alex went back to the kitchen and Beca sat down.

"Hey, guys," Aubrey said. "I asked Stacie and a couple of the girls to videotape of our performances so we can send it to Chloe."

"That's a great idea," Beca said. "Thanks, Stacie."

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca found her mother and Alex sitting with her dad and Carol. It was weird when she first saw the two couples sitting together. She sat with her friends in the row in front of her folks. The air was electric with excitement. There was a small section of East Point High School fans off to Beca's left. There was some good natured trash talking taking place but nothing serious.

The game started and the Barden fans were on their feet as their guys came to the field. The East Point fans clapped and made noise when their team was announced and some Barden fans joined them in mutual respect.

Barden kicked off and the game was underway. East Point took the ball and ran it back about thirty yards to midfield. East Point's quarterback came onto the field and huddled up with his offense. The play was set and it was a play action pass right out of the gate. Barden was ready for them but East Point still advanced the ball to Barden's forty-yard line for a first down. A few plays later and it was fourth and six for East Point; they went for the field goal and were now up 3-0 against Barden.

Beca and Jesse were texting the girls at the Crestfield game. Crestfield was up 7-0 over Decatur. Beca ran a hand through her hair and relayed the information to her folks.

The Barden game went back and forth and it was finally halftime with the game tied at 10-10. Crestfield was faring better, sitting on a 10-3 lead going into their halftime.

Beca, Aubrey, and Jesse were standing on the sidelines while the platform was rolled onto midfield and microphones were stretched out and plugged in. Speakers were situated in various parts of the field so they could be heard.

As soon as everything was set up, Gail walked out and stood at the microphone and introduced herself. "Quite an exciting game, huh?," Gail said and the crowd cheered. "Now, for halftime we are doing something a little different. We have three students from my music class who are going to be performing songs that came out during the _British Invasion._ Each was tasked with finding a song from the 60s or 70s and we had a sing-off. Most all of the students did a wonderful job and we have selected the three who out-sang the rest. First up, we have Junior Beca Mitchell singing ' _She's A Rainbow'_ by The Rolling Stones."

The crowd applauded, and there were cheers and screams from Beca's friends. She reached the microphone, and the music started.

 _She comes in colors ev'rywhere  
_ _She combs her hair  
_ _She's like a rainbow  
_ _Coming, colors in the air  
_ _Oh, everywhere  
_ _She comes in colors_

 _She comes in colors ev'rywhere  
_ _She combs her hair  
_ _She's like a rainbow  
_ _Coming, colors in the air  
_ _Oh, everywhere_

Beca was getting into it. She looked around as she sang and smiled at how just about every person in the stands was watching and listening. She really wished Chloe could have been there to see her do the actual performance.

 _She comes in colors  
_ _Have you seen her dressed in blue?  
_ _See the sky in front of you  
_ _And her face is like a sail  
_ _Speck of white so fair and pale  
_ _Have you seen a lady fairer?_

 _She comes in colors ev'rywhere  
_ _She combs her hair  
_ _She's like a rainbow  
_ _Coming, colors in the air  
_ _Oh, everywhere  
_ _She comes in colors_

 _Have you seen her all in gold?  
_ _Like a queen in days of old  
_ _She shoots colors all around  
_ _Like a sunset going down  
_ _Have you seen a lady fairer?_

 _She comes in colors ev'rywhere  
_ _She combs her hair  
_ _She's like a rainbow  
_ _Coming, colors in the air  
_ _Oh, everywhere_

 _She comes in colors  
_ _She's like a rainbow  
_ _Coming, colors in the air  
_ _Oh, everywhere  
_ _She comes in colors_

Beca finished the song and smiled as the crowd jumped to their feet, clapping and cheering for her. She walked off, and Gail came back to the mic. "Next up, Junior Jesse Swanson will be singing ' _Pinball Wizard'_ by _The Who_."

Jesse bounded onto the platform as Gail walked off. The music started, and Jesse started singing.

 _Ever since I was a young boy  
I've played the silver ball  
From Soho down to Brighton  
I must have played them all  
But I ain't seen nothing like him  
In any amusement hall  
That deaf dumb and blind kid  
Sure plays a mean pinball!_

 _He stands like a statue,  
Becomes part of the machine  
Feeling all the bumpers  
Always playing clean  
He plays by intuition,  
The digit counters fall  
That deaf dumb and blind kid  
Sure plays a mean pinball!_

 _He's a pinball wizard  
There has got to be a twist  
A pinball wizard,  
S'got such a supple wrist_

 _How do you think he does it? I don't know!  
What makes him so good?_

 _He ain't got no distractions  
Can't hear those buzzers and bells  
Don't see lights a flashin'  
Plays by sense of smell  
Always gets a replay  
Never seen him fall  
That deaf dumb and blind kid  
Sure plays a mean pinball_

 _I thought I was  
The Bally table king  
But I just handed  
My pinball crown to him_

 _Even on my favorite table  
He can beat my best  
His disciples lead him in  
And he just does the rest  
He's got crazy flipper fingers  
Never seen him fall  
That deaf dumb and blind kind  
Sure plays a mean pinball!_

By the end of the song, Jesse was jumping and bouncing all over the makeshift stage. Beca and Aubrey stood on the sidelines watching and laughing at how much fun he was having. The audience was eating it up. When the last note was sung, the crowd started cheering before the last note faded out.

Jesse grinned wider than Beca had ever seen him do before. Aubrey smiled and looked nervous.

"You okay, Brey?," Beca asked.

"No," Aubrey said looking anxious. "How am I supposed to beat that?"

"You don't," Beca said. "It's not a competition. You give them the best performance you can and don't worry about anyone else's. You sound amazing, Brey. Don't sell yourself short."

"Thanks, Beca," Aubrey said and pulled the smaller girl into a hug.

"Stop it already," Beca said pulling away from Aubrey. "People might think I like you or something."

Aubrey laughed and started walking to the stage to wait for Gail's introduction.

"And, last, but by no means least, we have Senior Aubrey Posen singing ' _I Saw Her Standing There'_ by _The Beatles."_

 _Well she was just seventeen  
You know what I mean  
And the way she looked  
Was way beyond compare  
So how could I dance with another,  
Oh, when I saw her standing there_

 _Well she looked at me  
And I, I could see  
That before too long  
I'd fall in love with her  
She wouldn't dance with another  
Oh, when I saw her standing there_

Aubrey started dancing around, reminiscent of _Tiffany_ during her mall concerts back in the 80s. She stood on the left and pointed toward Stacie with a big smile as she sang. Stacie blew her a kiss and Aubrey continued the song.

 _Well my heart went boom  
When I crossed that room  
And I held her hand in mine_

 _Oh we danced through the night  
And we held each other tight  
And before too long  
I fell in love with her  
Now I'll never dance with another  
Oh, when I saw her standing there_

 _Well my heart went boom  
When I crossed that room  
And I held her hand in mine_

 _Oh we danced through the night  
And we held each other tight  
And before too long  
I fell in love with her  
Now I'll never dance with another  
Oh, when I saw her standing there  
Oh, since I saw her standing there  
Yeah, well since I saw her standing there_

The thunderous applause that came as soon as Aubrey finished singing surprised the blonde. She looked over at Stacie and saw her jumping up and down with the rest of the cheer squad.

As soon as Aubrey came off the stage, the crew immediately started pushing it off the field. Beca felt her phone buzz and looked to see a text from CR.

 _CR: Crestfield came out with guns blazing and scored a touchdown on the kickoff. Score is now 17-3 in Crestfield's favor._

"Dammit," Beca said and showed Jesse and Aubrey the text from CR. "Our guys better get their acts together this half."

Beca and Jesse went back to their seats in the stands. Everyone, including Beca's parents and step-parents, congratulated her and Jesse on a tremendous job.

"I'm so proud of you," Melissa said pulling Beca into a hug.

"Thanks, mom," Beca said before taking her seat.

Aubrey ran over to rejoin the cheer squad. She told them about the text CR had sent. The cheer squad tripled their cheering and tried to work up the crowd.

The second half of the Barden game was even more exciting than the first. The defense for both sides doing their jobs and holding the other team scoreless throughout the third, and most of the fourth quarters. East Point kicked a field goal with less than four minutes left in the game, and the score was now 10-13.

East Point kicked off, and the ball was caught by Theo at East Point's 25-yard line. He ran it back for 25 yards, and Barden's offense took over at midfield. The team had less three minutes to score. The quarterback dropped back and threw a short pass over the middle for a gain of six. The next play was a run, and they gained 15 yards and were now at the 29. The field goal kicker was warming up on the sidelines, but not many had a lot of faith in him. He had already missed two short field goals that would have put Barden ahead earlier in the game. Two more quick plays and Barden was down to the 10-yard line.

Barden's coach called a timeout and huddled his guys together. They were going to do one more play, and if they didn't score, the field goal team would come in. If they made it, they would have more time to score in overtime. The coach made sure to tell his receivers that if they didn't get into the end zone to make sure they got out of bounds to stop the clock. There was now 45 seconds left on the clock when Barden went into their huddle. The quarterback called the play, and Barden lined up.

Beca and the rest got a text from Ashley; this time letting them know that Crestfield's game was over and they had beaten Decatur 17-10. Everyone in the Barden stands was holding their breath.

The ball was snapped, and the quarterback stepped back and saw Theo was open at around the seven-yard line. The ball was thrown toward him; one of East Point's players got his hand on the ball and deflected it, but Barden's running back was in the right place at the right time and caught the ball. He easily ran the last five yards into the end zone just as the game clock stopped at 20 seconds. The kicking team came on the field and easily made the PAT. The clock ran out, and the Barden fans went wild and stormed the field. Barden had won 17-13 and was now tied with Crestfield for the Conference title.

After things had quieted down a bit, Beca was standing with Aubrey and Stacie. Beca had her phone out and was texting Chloe when she looked up at the other two girls.

"Looks like we have to come up with something for our bet with Chloe," Beca said. "She said she'd meet us at the diner tomorrow around Noon to discuss the stakes."

Beca's phone pinged with another text, and she looked down at her and smiled. Aubrey noticed this.

"What else did Chloe say?," Aubrey asked.

"That is none of your business," Beca replied and locked her phone.

* * *

 **Songs used:**

 **' _She's a Rainbow'_ by _The Rolling Stones  
'_ _Pinball Wizard'_ by _The Who  
'I Saw Her Standing There'_ by _The Beatles_**


	20. Chapter 20

Beca knocked on Aubrey's bedroom door around 11:00 am the next morning.

"Come in," she heard Aubrey say, and she opened the door.

"Hey," Beca said. "I'm getting ready to leave for the diner because I want to pick something up for Chloe on my way."

"Do you want to ride with Stacie and me?," Aubrey asked.

"Thanks, but I'm going to Chloe's after," Beca said. "We have plans later."

"You can still ride with us," Aubrey said. "Invite Chloe to dinner tomorrow night, and she can bring you back home. I know my mom would love to see her."

"Let me text her and see," Beca said. She pulled out her phone and sent the text to Chloe. She walked over and sat on Aubrey's bed. "What are you doing?"

"Just studying for a test we have on Wednesday," Aubrey replied. "I'm sure I'll do fine, but I don't want to take any chances. Plus, basketball season is coming up, and they have more games so we'll be cheering a lot. I don't want to get behind in my studies. It's hard to catch up."

"I hear you," Beca said. "I'm going to go tell Carol I invited Chloe to dinner tomorrow. Give her and my dad a heads up."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "I'll get ready so we can leave if she agrees to dinner."

Beca leaves and goes to find Carol. Her phone pings as she's walking down the stairs. She looks to see the text is from Chloe accepting her dinner invitation. She walks into the kitchen to find Carol wiping her hands. Her father is sitting at the counter with a glass of juice.

"Hey, Dad. Hey, Carol," Beca said. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Chloe for dinner tomorrow, and she said yes. I'll go home with her tonight after we do our double date thing with Stacie and Aubrey and she'll bring me home tomorrow afternoon."

"Sounds good to me," Carol said with a smile. "We haven't seen her here in a while."

"It's still nice outside," Ben said. "Why don't we grill some burgers or steaks or something?"

"Mmm, a cookout," Beca said. "I'm in."

"Me, too," Carol said. "We'll throw together a few sides, and we should be all set. I'll tell Aubrey to invite Stacie."

"I'll tell her," Beca said. "We have to leave to meet Chloe at the diner."

Beca left and ran upstairs to Aubrey's room. Aubrey was just coming out the door.

"Chloe's in for dinner tomorrow," Beca said. "Carol said you should invite Stacie. We're going to have a cookout."

"I'll tell Stacie on the way," Aubrey said. "Are you ready?"

"Let me just grab my overnight bag," Beca said. She went into her room and grabbed the bag and met Aubrey in the hallway. "Let's go."

The two girls head for the stairs. "Where did you need to stop on the way to the diner?"

"I want to get Chloe some flowers," Beca said.

"Oh, what's the occasion?," Aubrey asked.

"None, really," Beca replied. "We've been together almost three months, and I just wanted to do something nice."

"That's sweet," Aubrey said. "Let's go to the florist first. I'm stealing your idea and getting Stacie flowers, too."

Beca smiled as they climbed into the car. Aubrey drove off as they chatted about the flowers. They arrived at the florist and went inside. Once the bouquets were done, they got back in the car and went to pick up Stacie. Aubrey parked in front of the house and grabbed the flowers for Stacie from the back seat. She walked to the door and knocked.

"Hey," Stacie said and gave Aubrey a quick kiss.

"These are for you," Aubrey said handing Stacie the flowers.

"What did I do to deserve these?," Stacie asked with a big smile.

"I just wanted to let you know how much you mean to me," Aubrey said.

Stacie kissed Aubrey and thanked her. "Let me just put these in water and then we can go."

Beca had moved to the backseat so Stacie could sit in front with Aubrey. Aubrey got behind the wheel and drove off. They arrived at the diner about twenty minutes later.

Beca looked around as she got out of the car. "I don't see Chloe's car," Beca told Aubrey. "Why don't you two go in and get us a booth. I'll wait for Chloe out here so she can leave her flowers in the car."

"Okay," Aubrey said taking Stacie's hand.

Beca leaned against the front of Aubrey's car so she could watch for Chloe. Stacie led Aubrey to "their" booth and sat down. She looked out the window to see Chloe pulling into the parking lot.

"Chloe's here," Stacie told Aubrey.

"Hello, girls," Melissa said. "You two here by yourselves?"

"No," Aubrey said. "Beca was waiting for Chloe outside. They'll be just a minute."

"Good," Melissa said. "Can I get you girls the usual to drink?"

"Yes, please," Aubrey said. "Where's Alex?"

"She's not feeling well," Melissa said as she went behind the counter. "I'm handling the diner today and tomorrow. Hopefully, she'll be better by Monday."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Aubrey said. "Give her our best."

Melissa brought the drinks over. She noticed Stacie looking out the window with a furrowed brow. She looked out the window as well.

"Everything okay, Stacie?," Melissa asked.

"What?," Stacie said turning to look at Melissa. "I'm sorry. What was that?"

"I just asked if everything was okay," Melissa said.

"Um, with me, yeah," Stacie said. "It just looks like Chloe's crying. But it doesn't look like a happy cry."

Melissa leaned forward a bit and grew concerned when she saw Beca holding Chloe tightly. "I'm going to go check on them."

Melissa went outside as Stacie and Aubrey watched out the window. Melissa walked over; Beca saw her and gave her a small smile.

"Everything okay?," Melissa asked.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said with a half laugh, half cry. "I'm just being overly emotional. I had to cancel our date for tonight because my grandma's sick and we're taking dinner to her and Beca gave me flowers. It was all a bit much."

"Okay, I was just worried," Melissa said and gave Chloe's arm a gentle squeeze. "I'll leave you to it and see you inside."

"I feel like an idiot," Chloe told Beca as she wrapped her in another hug.

"Don't be silly," Beca said. "I'm sorry we aren't going to have our date, but we'll see each other at my house tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay," Chloe said and wiped her face.

Beca reached up and wiped a tear from Chloe's face. She kissed the redhead and said, "Let's go in. Stacie and Aubrey are probably worried."

"Okay," Chloe said and held up the flowers Beca had given her. "Let me put these in the car first. It was almost like you knew I was upset."

"Just wanted to do something nice for you," Beca said and blushed slightly.

Chloe kissed Beca. "Thank you. You really are the best girlfriend ever."

Chloe and Beca sit across from Stacie and Aubrey. Chloe assured their two friends that she was okay and was just overly emotional. They sat chatting about Chloe's grandmother, just making sure she was okay.

"Enough talk about sick grandmas and overly emotional redheads," Chloe said with a small laugh. "Let's talk about why we're really here."

"Something tells me you've already given this a lot of thought," Aubrey said.

"That's because I have," Chloe said with a big smile.

"Oh, no," Beca said. "What do you have planned for us?"

"Well," Chloe said and looked from one girl to the other and stopped when she landed on Aubrey and pointed at her. "You have to wear the Crestfield Cavaliers mascot uniform, and you two," she points between Stacie and Beca, "have to wear Crestfield hoodies and walk around your neighborhoods in Barden singing ' _We Are The Champions!'_."

"No way!," Beca squealed.

"I'm with Beca on this," Stacie said. "They'll kill us."

Aubrey sat with her mouth agape. "Why do I have to wear the mascot uniform?"

"I thought you'd all feel this way," Chloe said. "So, I'm offering to wear a Barden Raiders cheer uniform and walk around my neighborhood in Crestfield singing the Barden fight song _IF_ Barden should win."

The three girls glared at Chloe. "Give us a minute," Beca said. "Go talk to my mom or something while we discuss this."

"Okay," Chloe said cheerily and grabbed her empty soda glass. She walked over and sat at the end of the counter. "Hey, Melissa."

"Hey, Chloe," Melissa said. "Can I get you something?"

"Another drink, please," Chloe said handing her glass to Melissa.

Melissa refilled the drink and set it on the counter in front of Chloe. She looked over at the booth where the others were in, what looked to be, a serious discussion.

"What's going on over there?"

"They're discussing our bet for the Barden-Crestfield championship game. I told them the stakes, and now they have to decide whether to accept or come up with a counteroffer."

"What was your bet?"

Chloe told Melissa what she had come up with and Melissa started laughing. The three girls looked over at Melissa and Chloe; Chloe smiled and waved at them. They ignored her and went back to their discussion.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

"I don't like it," Beca said once Chloe was out of earshot.

"Neither do I," Stacie said.

"I'm not that thrilled with it either," Aubrey said. "I mean our Barden schoolmates would not take kindly to us prancing around in Crestfield outfits singing about how Barden lost."

"We have to come up with something else," Stacie said.

"That's all good in theory," Beca said. "But, what would we counter with?"

Aubrey shook her head and chuckled. "You have to admit; it's a pretty good bet."

Beca smirked and said, "You did say she was shrewd and cunning."

"Guys, let's focus here," Stacie said. "If we take this bet and Barden loses, we are going to be the laughingstock of Barden."

"Honestly," Beca said. "I think most of the student body will think it's funny. I'm just worried about Chloe if we take this bet. It's just her. At least we have each other."

"I agree," Aubrey said.

They heard Melissa laugh loudly and all three heads turned to look at her. Chloe looked back at them with a big smile and waved.

"What if we counter with," Beca started and paused thinking for a minute. "I got it. The loser has to wear a shirt for the opposing team to school for the entire week after the game. AND, they have to take a picture of them wearing said shirt in front of their school."

"That might work," Aubrey said. "We can express our concerns for her and tell her this seems like a fair trade. Right?"

"Right," Beca said.

Stacie looks back at Chloe and then turns back. She lets out a sigh. "Okay. I agree we should make the counter-offer."

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Chloe sipped at her soda and looked back over at the table. She smiled when she saw how seriously they were discussing the bet. She let out a sigh when she Beca smirk at something.

"God, I love that stupid smirk," Chloe sighed.

"Ah, to be young and in love," Melissa said causing Chloe to jerk her head back around. Her cheeks were pink.

"Sorry," Chloe said.

"Don't be," Melissa said. "You look at my daughter the way I look at Alex. Like she's the only person you see."

"They sure are being serious about this bet," Chloe said changing the subject. She really wanted to spend time with Beca and was still a little upset that she had to cancel their date.

"I think you have them running scared with your proposal," Melissa said with a smile. "Head up. Here comes Beca."

Just then Beca's arm reaches in front of Chloe as she places three empty glasses on the counter. "Hey, mom," Beca said. "Could we get some drink refills, please?"

"Me, too, please," Chloe said pushing her glass toward Melissa.

"You got it," Melissa said and cleared the dirty glasses.

Beca moved between Chloe's legs and leaned in to kiss her. "Mmm, thank you," Chloe said with a grin. "So, what did you guys decide?"

"We'll discuss it when we get back to the table," Beca said. "Until then…" Beca kissed Chloe again and hugged her.

"Here you go," Melissa said setting the sodas on the counter.

"Thanks, mom," Beca said as she reached for two of the glasses.

"Thanks, Melissa," Chloe said and grabbed the other two.

Beca and Chloe walked back to their table and sat down. Melissa watched for a few seconds and then walked over to the table as well.

"We have a counteroffer for you," Aubrey said. "We thought that since it's just you that it wouldn't be fair to make you wear a Barden cheer uniform and sing by yourself."

Melissa was at the table now and asked, "Before you get too involved, did you want to order some food?"

"Yes, please," Beca said quickly.

The girls were giving their orders when April came from the kitchen. "Hey," she said to the girls.

"Hey, April," Beca said.

"So, what do you think about Crestfield and Barden having to play each other for the Conference Championship?," April asked Beca.

Beca laughed. "We were just discussing that."

"I hope you don't feel too bad when Barden loses," April said with a smile.

Chloe held her hand up for a high five. "Yes!"

"Don't be so smug," Beca said. "We already beat you guys once."

"You got lucky," April said unimpressed.

"We won because we're the better team," Aubrey said.

April let out a snort-type laugh. "Keep telling yourself that."

"Ooo-ooo," Chloe said teasingly. "Maybe we should include April in on the bet."

"What bet?"

"We were just discussing it." Chloe went on to explain to April what she had suggested for the bet.

"Yeah, but we have a counteroffer," Beca said.

"Let's hear it," Chloe said, turning to look at her girlfriend.

"We only came up with it to make it easier for you, Chlo," Aubrey said.

"Yeah," Stacie said. "We didn't think it was fair that you had to do it by yourself when it was three of us."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Thank you for your consideration. Now, what's your counteroffer."

"Wait," Melissa said. "I want in on this. I think Crestfield can easily beat Barden."

"I want in, too," April said. "It will be fun."

"My own family," Beca said putting her hand over her heart. "Fine. Our offer is that the loser, sorry, losers have to wear a shirt for the opposing team to school for the entire week after the game. AND, they have to take a picture of them wearing said shirt in front of their school."

"Give us a minute," Chloe said and stood and motioned April and Melissa away from the table.

"I like it," Melissa whispered.

"Me, too," April said. "It's just embarrassing enough that we won't get killed in the off chance Crestfield loses."

"I agree," Chloe said. "Let's make them sweat a little though and act like we're really discussing it."

"Okay," Melissa said with a grin.

"So, my boyfriend's band is changing their name again," April said.

"Isn't this like the fifth time in a month?," Chloe asked.

"Something like that," April said.

"I think we should go back to the table," Melissa said looking over Chloe's shoulder. "Aubrey and Stacie keep glancing back here, and they look a little nervous."

Chloe glanced over her shoulder and laughed. "Okay. I think we've made them suffer enough. Game faces, ladies."

The three turned with a serious look on their faces and looked down at the girls sitting in the booth. Chloe took a deep breath and let it out.

"After careful consideration," Chloe said and looked at April and Melissa. The two nodded solemnly. "We have decided." Chloe paused and looked at her three friends who were holding their breaths waiting for an answer. "Your counteroffer is accepted. It's a bet!"


	21. Chapter 21

Talk the next day in the Mitchell/Posen house was of the Conference Championship game between Barden and Crestfield. The game would be played the following Saturday with the winners moving on to the playoffs the following week. The four family members were all working to get everything ready for the cookout.

Stacie arrived and about ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. Beca hurried around the counter to answer knowing it was Chloe. She pulled open the door and upon seeing Chloe pulled her into a kiss.

"Hello to you, too," Chloe said when she pulled back from the kiss.

"Sorry, not sorry," Beca said with a big smile. "Come on in. Stacie's already here and we're getting everything ready in the kitchen."

Chloe followed Beca into the kitchen and greeted everyone. Chloe handed a plate to Carol.

"I didn't know what to bring so I made some brownies," Chloe said.

"Thank you, Chloe," Carol said. "I should have told you to have your parents come today. I haven't seen them in a while."

"They were going to spend some time with my grandmother," Chloe said. "I'll tell them you asked about them."

"Please do," Carol said. "We'll have to plan a get-together with them soon."

"I'm sure they'd love that,' Chloe said.

"How is your grandmother?," Beca asked.

"She's doing well," Chloe said with a smile. "She's complaining about everything so we know she's feeling better."

"I think everything's ready," Carol said. "Let's get everything outside. I'm sure the hamburgers and hot dogs are done."

The girls grabbed food, cups, plates, the works and headed out to the backyard. Ben was manning the grill and waved at Chloe and Stacie.

"Good to see you, girls," Ben called out.

The cookout went well, and everyone had a great time. Chloe was reluctant to leave but knew she had to since she still had a bit of homework to do. Beca walked her to her car and spent twenty minutes saying goodnight before watching Chloe drive off.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

On Monday, everyone at Barden had football fever. Students and Faculty were wearing their green and white to show their support for their team. The Principal called for a pep rally on Friday during last period to help get the team psyched up for the game.

Beca and Chloe had their usual Tuesday night date at the diner. They did some trash talking about the matchup but spent most of their time just enjoying being with each other. They were both sad when it was time to go their separate ways. Beca had Chloe up against her car kissing her.

"Can you meet me on Saturday for lunch?," Beca asked. "The game isn't until four o'clock. We can just meet here and you'll still have time to go home and get into your cheer uniform before you have to leave for the game."

"I'd like that," Chloe said. "Can I spend the night at your house Saturday? I really, really miss being with you."

"Absolutely," Beca said and kissed Chloe one more time before opening her car door for her.

"I'll see you here around Noon on Saturday," Chloe said through the open window. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Beca said before leaning in one last time for a kiss. "Let me know when you get home."

"You do the same," Chloe said and drove off.

Beca let out a sigh and got in her car and headed home. The next three days seemed to drag by and it was finally Friday. The Pep Rally was intense and everyone was fired up for the game. The team was confident; the coaches were confident; the students and faculty were confident. Now it was up to the players to make it happen.

Everyone left school on Friday feeling good and Beca was especially excited that she would get to see Chloe the next day. Saturday morning was a cloudy day but no rain was expected. Beca was up early for no reason and couldn't keep herself busy so she left early for the diner. She thought she could see and visit a bit with her mom while she waited for Chloe.

"Hey, Alex," Beca said as she entered the diner. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

"Thanks, Beca," Alex said. "Your mom's in the back. I'll get her for you."

"Thanks," Beca said as she sat at the counter.

A few minutes later Melissa came from the back and gave Beca hug. She sat down next to her.

"Not that I don't love seeing you," Melissa said. "But, what are you doing here?"

"I'm meeting Chloe for lunch," Beca replied.

"It's a little early for lunch," Melissa said.

"I know," Beca said. "I was bored and restless at home waiting until I could see her. So I thought I'd spend some time with you while I wait for her."

"How about I buy you a drink," Melissa said. She got up and went behind the counter and got two glasses of soda and sat one in front of Beca. "Have you thought about colleges you wanted to visit? I'm sure Alex wouldn't mind if we took a road trip to check some out."

"Barden, of course," Beca said. "A bonus being be the free tuition I could get because of dad. UCLA has a really good music program, so I'll probably apply there. There are a few others, but if I get into Barden, it won't matter. I'll go there for sure."

"I'm glad," Melissa said. "I'm more than happy to have you close by for a few more years."

"I love you, too, mom," Beca said with a grin.

Beca felt a pair of arms move around her waist and she jumped up. "Hey!," she yelped. "Oh, my God, Chloe. I thought you were some stranger trying to cop a feel or something."

Melissa and Chloe were laughing. "I'm sorry, babe," Chloe said. "I couldn't help myself."

"And you," Beca said looking at her mother. "My own mother didn't let me know she was there."

"I guess I like her more," Melissa said. She smiled and went into the kitchen.

"Haha," Beca called out to her mother. She turned and gave Chloe a quick kiss. "Why are you here so early?"

"I was bored at home," Chloe said. "I thought I'd come and do some homework here while I waited for you. How about you?"

"Same," Beca said. "Plus, I really wanted to see you."

"Aw, that's sweet," Chloe said and kissed Beca. "Oh, before I forget, I'm planning on packing three of my Crestfield shirts for you, Brey, and Stacie to wear next week."

"Hah, in your dreams," Beca said and snickered.

Chloe leaned in close to Beca and said, "No, in my dreams you aren't wearing anything." Beca blushed causing Chloe to let out a small laugh. "You're still so easy, Mitchell."

"It's a good thing you're that pretty," Beca said.

Beca and Chloe spent several hours together since they both arrived early for their lunch date. They headed to their respective homes around two o'clock to get ready for the big game.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca rode to the game with her dad and Carol, hoping she could take Chloe out somewhere after the game and Chloe could drive. When they arrived Beca looked for her friends and they found seats near them and sat. Beca then looked for Chloe and saw she was talking to Stacie and Aubrey. She went down to the end of the bleachers and called her name. Chloe looked up and smiled when she saw her and came running over to Beca.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said as she kissed Beca. "There might be a delay for the start of the game."

"Why?," Beca asked.

"Three out of the four refs for tonight's game are the same ones you guys had at the game you lost," Chloe explained. "The ones that made all those bad calls against your team. Your coach is talking to our coach about it."

"Can they do anything?"

"Probably not," Chloe said as Aubrey and Stacie walked up to them. "It would suck if they did the same thing during this game."

"The game should be starting shortly," Aubrey said. "Coach Smith and Coach Donovan talked but there's nothing they can really do about it."

"I hope the refs don't mess up," Chloe said. "It would really tarnish a win if the refs blow the calls, especially if they're against one team in particular. It will put a damper on both teams, win or lose."

They hear a whistle blow and see the Captains and Coaches of the two teams heading for midfield.

"Gotta go, Becs," Chloe said and kissed her. "Duty calls. I'll see you at halftime."

Chloe ran off and joined the rest of her cheer squad on the other side of the field. Stacie and Aubrey told Beca they'd see her later and ran to rejoin their squad.

The coin toss was done and Crestfield won, opting to receive the ball. The game started a few minutes later.

The two teams took the field, and Barden kicked off. The Crestfield receiver bobbled the ball and was tackled, and the ball was marked at the 15-yard line. The Crestfield offense took the field and managed to move the ball to the 40-yard line on two passing plays. After that, Barden's defense held them, and Crestfield had to punt the ball away.

Barden's receiver took the ball at the 20-yard line and made it to midfield before he was stopped. The offense came onto the field and the quarterback called a running play. Barden gained six yards so they tried the play again hoping for the same outcome. The running back made it four yards and a first down. The stands were erupting in cheers.

Pressing their luck another running play was called. Barden lost two yards on the play when the defensive line held the offensive line steady and the defensive end tackled the running back before he could get to the line of scrimmage.

Crestfield was on a high and Barden had to push hard to get down the field. Barden was at third and six at the thirty-four and the quarterback called a pass play. The quarterback took the snap and fell back a couple of yards when he noticed his receiver open on his left. He tossed the ball and they gained ten yards for a first down. The Barden crowd erupted in cheers.

Crestfield was not done. Over the next three downs, they held Barden to only a five-yard gain placing the ball on the nineteen. Barden was at fourth and five and opted for a field goal which their kicker made. The score at the end of the first quarter was Barden 3, Crestfield 0.

The second quarter was a hard fought defensive battle. Both Crestfield and Barden kept their opponents out of field goal range and went into the locker room at halftime with the score still 3-0 in Barden's favor. The refs made one or two questionable calls but nothing that affected either side so everything was looking good for the second half.

Chloe and a couple of her cheer squad ran over to the Barden side to talk to Aubrey. Beca stood off to the side watching and Chloe saw her and waved her over. Beca walked over to the group and Chloe gave her a quick kiss.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said and wrapped her arms around Beca.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to a movie or something later," Beca said. "We can grab dinner, too."

"Sounds good," Chloe said. "Can we invite Brey and Stacie?"

"Sure," Beca said. "Oh, I rode over with my dad and Carol so you'll have to drive me home."

"Okay," Chloe said and kissed Beca again.

Beca stood around with Chloe hanging all over her, which she hated of course, and chatted with the two cheer squads while the marching band performed their halftime show. Chloe and her girls had to separate and head back to the other side of the field. Beca watched as Chloe led the squad in getting the Crestfield fans excited and cheering.

The third quarter went about the same as the second. Barden did get into field goal range only to have the kicker hit the uprights and the ball bounce off to the left. The fourth quarter started and the roar of the crowd was deafening. Both sides were excited and knew that it was still anyone's ball game.

It seemed Barden and Crestfield's offenses woke up. On the first play, Crestfield managed to move the ball down the field with ease. They were at the twenty and ran a short pass play that ended in a Crestfield touchdown and PAT. The score was now Barden 3, Crestfield 7. The Crestfield fans, though outnumbered, made as much noise as the Barden fans.

Barden didn't take the Crestfield touchdown lying down. They came back with a vengeance only to be stopped time and time again. Finally, Barden was at the fifteen and it was fourth down. They opted to try for the easy three and work on getting the ball back to score again. The kick was good and the score was now Barden 6, Crestfield 7.

Crestfield came back wanting another touchdown hoping to put the game out of reach for Barden. They tried every trick in the book and it looked like they were going to score when Tom and Chicago tackled Crestfield's running back, stripping the ball from his hands. Chicago recovered the fumble and it was now Barden's ball with just over three minutes on the clock. The fans were cheering as Barden's offense took the field. They had a lot of yards to cover and not a lot of time.

Barden's quarterback called for several quick pass plays, and they moved down the field at a steady clip. The last play got them just past midfield with two minutes on the clock. Crestfiield lined all but two of the defensive players at the line of scrimmage expecting a run; Barden saw this and quickly changed their play to a pass and gained fifteen yards. They were at the 32-yard line and knew they needed at least another ten for their field goal kicker to have a chance.

Barden ran the ball and ate up seven more yards. They did a quick pass and got four more and another first down. The clock was stopped since the receiver was able to get out of bounds. They now had time for one more play before bringing on the field goal team.

The excitement was getting to the fans and they were all on their feet, screaming and cheering for their team. Barden ran the ball and gained another seven yards and the field goal team quickly came on the field. This was their last shot as they were down to twenty seconds on the clock.

The center snapped the ball, the holder grabbed it and settled in position, and the kicker planted his left foot and brought his right foot through to connect with the ball. The crowd grew silent as the ball sailed through the air. Every eye in the bleachers and on the field was on the ball.

Beca felt like things were moving in slow motion as she watched the ball. Suddenly, the Barden fans went wild. The kick was good and the fans were stomping their feet causing the bleachers to vibrate.

Barden won the game 9-7 and were the Conference Champions.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

"I can't believe I lost twice betting on our guys," Chloe said when she saw Melissa waiting for her in front of the school.

"They fought hard," Melissa said. "It just wasn't meant to be." She looked around and said, "I hope April's not late. I need to get to my class. You High Schoolers do not react well when there is no authority figure in the classroom."

"Barden green looks good on you, mom," Beca called out when she saw Melissa and Chloe standing in front of their school's sign. She walked over to them with Aubrey and Stacie by her side. "I mean it _would_ look good if you were actually wearing it. Where's your Barden shirt?"

"It's right here, miss smarty-pants," Melissa said as she held it up. "What are you doing here?"

"We told Ms. Clark about the bet and she said we could miss our first-period class today to check to make sure the debt was paid," Aubrey said with a smile.

"Hmmph," Chloe scoffed. "I always pay my debts."

"Here," Beca said taking off her Barden hoodie. "Why don't you wear this? It's going to be chilly today."

"That's sweet," Chloe said and gave Beca a quick kiss. "You know you'll probably never get this back."

"Oh, but I will," Beca said as she turned the hoodie around to show Chloe the back. "It has my name on it."

"She's marking her property," Aubrey said with a grin.

"Shut up," Beca said. "Can you blame me? Have you seen some of these guys and girls around here?"

Chloe grabbed the hoodie and started putting it on. "Then I'll just have to keep it since I'm pretty sure it's going to be my name someday."

Beca couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She smiled because she was sure that one day she and Chloe would share the same last name.

* * *

 **That's it for the regular chapters. The next and final chapter will be an Epologue. Zap and I want to say thanks for hanging in there with us.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Note from ElectronisZappa: Sorry to keep you waiting for this. I'm so sad this is ending, I quite enjoyed this world we built. Thank you for coming on this journey with us.**

 **Note from BeChloeIsLegit: This is it, folks. Thanks for sticking with us and we hope you enjoyed reading the story as much we enjoyed writing it. Until next time!**

* * *

 _Chloe grabbed the hoodie and started putting it on. "Then I'll just have to keep it since I'm pretty sure it's going to be my name someday."_

 _Beca couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She smiled because she was sure that one day she and Chloe would share the same last name._

Barden High's football team went on to win the State Championship that year. Everyone was extremely proud of the team. Emily and the other alternates got to cheer at the game, and their friends were there to show their support. Emily did so well that Ms. Pantone assured her she would be moved to the full squad the following year. Chloe, Melissa, and Alex made a point to make it to the game, as well. Although for Chloe it was bittersweet since Barden beat Crestfield to get there. She was glad Barden one as it proved they were the better team.

Basketball season for both Barden and Crestfield was less than stellar with neither boys or girls' teams having great seasons. The most exciting thing to happen during the season was Beca got jealous when one of the players on Crestfield's girl's team tried to flirt with Chloe at a Barden-Crestfield game. Chloe stopped it before it could really get started but all Beca saw was the girl flirting with Chloe. Beca went after the girl, but Chloe was able to calm Beca down quite easily, and everything went back to normal. Chloe secretly found a jealous Beca hot but didn't tell her that for fear she would try to start fights to get Chloe's motor running.

The baseball and softball seasons were almost as bad as the teams' basketball season. Although, both the Barden and Crestfield softball teams made it to the playoffs with both losing badly in the first round.

Chloe took Beca as her date to her Senior Prom. Beca was afraid that some of the Crestfield creeps might say or do something, but they were actually decent throughout the night. Chloe was voted Prom Queen and, to the surprise of many, Luke beat out Howie for Prom King. Beca was happy to hear that because she knew she didn't have to worry about Luke trying anything with Chloe during the King and Queen dance.

Barden had a Junior/Senior Prom so, of course, Beca asked Chloe to go with her. They doubled with Stacie and Aubrey. The four had a great time, and Ben and Carol had gone out of town leaving the Mitchell house empty for the two couples. They had an after party and invited all their friends. It became an epic pajama party and a tradition that followed them into their college years.

Before anyone knew it, Aubrey and Chloe were graduating. Barden and Crestfield's graduation ceremonies were held on the same day. It took some arranging, but everyone that wanted to was able to attend both graduations much to Aubrey and Chloe's delight. The two best friends went off to Barden University together, and Beca and Stacie joined them a year later. Beca and Stacie auditioned and made it into the _Barden Bellas_ with Chloe and Aubrey. The two couples lived in the dorms and were considering finding an apartment to share the following year until they learned the Bellas were being given a house of their own. They moved in and were able to share a room with their significant other.

Chloe failed a couple of classes and didn't graduate with Aubrey. She passed all her classes the next year and was able to graduate with Beca and Stacie. Ben and Carol held a joint graduation party for the trio at their home. All three families were there, and Beca and Aubrey took the leap and proposed to their girlfriends. It was no surprise to anyone that they had a double wedding a few months later.

The two couples were fortunate enough to settle in houses just two blocks from each other. The block between them separated the school boundaries for Barden and Crestfield. The only one not happy about that was Beca since they were within the boundary for Crestfield, which meant any children she and Chloe had would go to Crestfield.

Chloe replaced Gail as the music teacher at Barden High after Gail became Vice Principal. Beca became a producer at Residual Heat in Atlanta, eventually becoming head of the branch. The first thing she did when she became the boss was to bring in Aubrey to head the legal division. Stacie started a software company that became successful very quickly. Through it all, they still had regular dinners with their various families.

It wasn't long before the two couples decided they wanted to have a child, and like everything else they did, they set about making it happen together. Aubrey and Stacie welcomed their daughter, Bella, into the world just a few days before Chloe and Beca's daughter, Alyssa, made her appearance. Like their parents, the girls were best friends growing up.

The Barden-Crestfield rivalry was alive and kicking, and Chloe was conflicted about who to root for since she was a Crestfield alum but taught at Barden; Beca had the same dilemma as she wanted to root for Barden, but Alyssa went to Crestfield.

Bella and Alysse both excelled in school. Everyone assumed the two cousins would attend Barden University and be _Bellas_ together, helping to lead the still all-female group to a cappella glory. Considering who their parents were, they were a shoo-in to become _Bellas_ and with everything their moms taught them, making it to the ICCAs was a given. Well, it was up until the two entered High School and Bella's aptitude for math and science fully presented itself. After being accepted at both Barden and Georgia Tech, Bella went back and forth for months before she decided to accept admittance to Georgia Tech. Alyssa was slightly bummed that she wouldn't be in the _Bellas_ with her cousin, but that was offset by the fact that her girlfriend, Tara, was going to be at Barden with her. And, since Tara's parents, Jessica and Ashley, were _Bellas_ they could be _Bella_ legacies together.

Bella wasn't too conflicted with not going to Barden with Alyssa. Especially since CR and Denise's daughter, Esther, who also happened to be one of her best friends, chose to attend Georgia Tech as well.

Coming as no surprise to anyone, Chloe was very emotional when they helped Alyssa move into her dorm at Barden. She ran the gamut from sad that her daughter was headed to college, to one of pride that she'd chosen Barden. Alyssa was fortunate to have Tara as her roommate, although they didn't spend a lot of time unpacking the first day, certain that as the daughters of _Bella_ legends and thus legacies, they'd become _Bellas_ themselves and move into the _Bella_ house; which they did about a month later after auditioning for and become _Bellas_.

The _Barden Bellas_ blew away their competition at Regionals, while the Georgia Tech team, _High Voltage_ , took second place. The scores were close, but the positions were swapped at Semifinals, which meant that both teams were headed to the ICCA National Championships in New York. With Alyssa and Tara members of the _Bellas,_ and Bella and Esther members of _High Voltage,_ the rivalry was intense between the cousins and the families as a whole.

"I can't believe in less than a week we'll be headed to New York to watch our baby girl compete at Nationals," Chloe said as she and Beca were heading to Aubrey and Stacie's backyard for a Sunday afternoon cookout. "I can hardly wait to see their performance. Aly told me they've been working so hard on it."

"They're both coming today right?," Beca asked, not having seen either of their cars in the driveway.

"Yeah, Aly texted me a little bit ago and said they needed to shower and change," Chloe responded.

"They better practice extra hard if they think they're going to beat my daughter," Aubrey said joining the conversation and pulling Chloe into a hug.

"They already have," Beca pointed out, getting a hug of her own from the blonde.

"Well, I'd say it was a tie since George Tech took first at Semis," Aubrey retorted. "I guess Nationals will break the tie."

"True," Beca said. "Where's the wife?"

"She had to go into the office for a bit," Aubrey explained. "They've got a video-conference meeting with a company that Amy's involved with in Brisbane tonight at 7:00, and they needed her to nail down and clarify a few things. She should be here in about half an hour or so."

"If Amy's involved, do I even want to know?," Beca asked eliciting a small laugh from Chloe.

"I doubt it will be that bad," Aubrey said. "Amy's actually a really good lawyer. She was second in our class at Harvard."

"Still, it's Amy we're talking about," Beca added.

"Are Bella and Esther coming?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah, they had practice, too, so they're in the same boat as Aly and Tara," Aubrey explained.

"Our girls are really giving it their all," Chloe added. "We certainly raised them right. I just hope Aly knows enough not to rub it in when the _Bellas_ beat the pants off of _High Voltage_ at Nationals."

"Talking about the upcoming Nationals?," Carol asked as she and Ben joined the others in the backyard. Aubrey nodded in confirmation as hugs and greetings were exchanged.

"Carol and I were talking about it on the way over," Ben added. "We're so proud of them both. We wish there were a way they could both win. It's going to be tough having to console one of them while being excited for the other."

The conversation carried on from there and soon Stacie, Alyssa, Bella, Tara, and Esther, arrived and joined in. There was much good-natured banter between both sides. Those supporting _High Voltage_ felt slightly outnumbered as it was pointed out that Chloe's parents, and Beca's mother and Alex, were all rooting for the _Bellas_ because Alyssa was their granddaughter. Stacie reminded them that her parents and Aubrey's father are on the _High Voltage_ side because of Bella. Ben and Carol were stuck in the middle since both teams included one of their granddaughters.

Eventually, the talk turned to football, and as was a long-standing tradition in the family, a bet was made. The Barden University Royals football team would be playing Georgia Tech in the first game of the season. The family as a whole would attend the tailgate party before the game and would have to wear the school colors of whichever team won at the ICCA Nationals competition. As an additional side bet, the losers would have to sing the fight song of the winning team in the middle of all the tailgaters.

Soon enough, they were at Lincoln Center. The Mitchell and Posen families were well represented in the audience. There were many outstanding teams, and all were giving spectacular performances. It became fairly clear early in the competition that the _Bellas_ and _High Voltage_ were the teams to beat. The _Bellas_ took a cue from one of their legendary members of years past, Emily (Junk) Applebaum, and included original songs in their performance, with Alyssa and Tara singing an emotional duet to each other to close their performance.

After all the teams had competed, there was a brief intermission while the judges made their decisions. The good-natured banter continued between the two families as they waited. Finally, the moment had come, and everyone returned to their seats.

"Okay, a cappella fans, it's the moment you've all been waiting for," the announcer said as he returned. He called all the teams to the stage, and they were gathered together, holding hands, waiting to hear their fates.

"The results are in, but before we announce the winners, I'd like to ask everyone to please give a round of applause for _all_ the wonderful teams that we saw tonight. Weren't they amazing?" The crowd rose to its feet, clapping and cheering for all the teams, especially those they were hoping would come out on top.

"In third place, we have from Penn State University, the _Statesmen_." A round of applause went up as one of the members came forward to receive their trophy. He rejoined his teammates, and they all hugged and congratulated each other.

"In second place, with only one point separating them from first place...Georgia Tech's _High Voltage_!" Beca and Chloe let out a squeal since they just knew if Georgia Tech was in second place, the Bellas had won. The announcer waited for it to quiet down a bit before he continued.

"In first place, and the winners of this year's ICCA Nationals Championship... _THE BARDEN UNIVERSITY BELLAS_!"

Both the entire Mitchell and Posen families jumped to their feet, applauding, screaming, and whistling for their teams.

Onstage, after the _Bellas_ were handed their trophy and were hugging each other, Bella Posen approached Alyssa Mitchell with a look of sheer pride on her face and grabbed her cousin in a bear hug.

Beca and Aubrey, who were sitting next to each other, saw their daughters hugging and turned to smile at each other.

"You guys can wear whatever you want to the game," Beca said, taking a cue from her niece. "It's clear that whatever rivalry may have existed between us is long gone. We're family first, last, and always. No matter what side we're on."

"You're right, we are," Aubrey said, hugging Beca as the others watched with huge smiles on their faces. "And you know I'll always be there for you, sis."

"Same," Beca said returning her sister's hug.


End file.
